CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS
A NON-POET CELEBRATES NATIONAL POETRY MONTH
If you have a hoe
You can scrape the snow
In winter.
If you have a hoe
You can make a hole
In summer.
I’m sure when the Academy of American Poets initiated National Poetry Month in 1996, they didn’t picture a non-poet, such as I am, sitting and encouraging a five-year old grandchild to write poetry. However, while visiting my son Nolan on his birthday in January, I found myself at the family table, writing poetry with my grandson Vince (visit Writing Poetry with My Grandson, Vince ). The above poem was one of our creations.
There are only a couple of poems among my eclectic writings. It isn’t my genre. So when several persons told me they liked the poem I penned while traveling through Maine (visit Moose, Goose, Deer ) I was surprised. After all, I wrote it in the car after seeing so many WATCH FOR MOOSE signs that I had to record something.
That same year I was asked if I would help judge an elementary school poetry writing contest. I was amazed at how well the children wrote poetry (and humbled at my lack of ability), and when I had to destroy the papers I did it with regret.
The concept behind National Poetry Month is to widen the attention of individuals and the media to the art of poetry and to living poets in an ultimate effort to encourage poetry readership year-round. The academy consulted with librarians and teachers before choosing April as poetry’s special month. It was believed that this writing genre would experience the highest level of participation.
The Academy has specific goals for National Poetry Month. They want to introduce Americans to the pleasures of poetry reading, to highlight the legacy and ongoing achievement of American poets, to bring poets and poetry to the public in immediate and innovative ways, to make poetry a more important part of school curriculums, to encourage media to pay more attention to poetry, to encourage increased publication of poetry books, and to increase public/philanthropic support for poets.
Although this is National Poetry Month, the Academy encourages celebrating poetry year round. They suggest some ways to do this, including reading a book of poems, memorizing a poem, starting or joining a poetry reading group, putting a poem in your pocket to share with others during the day, and signing up for a poetry class. For more suggestions, check out their site, listed below.
Upon reconsidering, sitting down with Vince and writing poetry together may not have been so eccentric for a non-poet after all.
And so, to close this post I will encourage each of you to sit down with pencil and paper and scribble out a poem. You might be surprised at the result. If you feel brave enough, type your poem in the comment box below.
I will end this day’s post as I started it, this time with a poem I wrote about my home community:
LAUREL MOUNTAIN BOROUGH
Laurel Mountain Borough—not the modernist’s town
Upon the gravel roads, those people would frown
No streetlights, no stores, no asphalt to boot
So quiet at night, you can hear owl hoots.
Filled with the pinks of Mountain Laurel
And skittering critters, the squirrels
With residents appearing to be saints
The atmosphere is really quite quaint.
Tucked into the Laurel Ridge foothills
Here once stood a needed lumber mill.
Now trees—hemlock and oak—are gigantic
They hold many secrets of the romantic.
It’s a place on earth like no other,
For parents, sister and brother
It’s here my life I’ll live out
With a laud of hurrah and a shout.
(Visit Laurel Mountain Borough, Pennsylvania: Quaint to read about my inspiration to write this poem)
SOURCE: http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/47
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ADDITIONAL READING:
PLANT FOOD RECIPE: Making Compost
January Catalogues Lead to June Gardens
Mosquito Nets Fight Malaria in Africa
Blogging: Does it Have Value? Part 1
