I love April for so many reasons: Melbourne seems to get its act together and realise that it is actually Autumn, and crisp, cold mornings turn into sunny afternoons. The Easter holidays bring time to relax - and we are always more exhausted in these holidays than any others, so no extravagant holidays are necessary - time together is enough for us! My daughter's birthday falls in April, and it is always a time for celebration and reflection. And lastly, but definitely not least, it is National Poetry Month! Officially in America and Canada, but I'm not waiting for my calendar to tell me to take part in a little poetry-shaped lovin'...
I adore poetry. I grew up with my favourite family events being cold winter nights around the open fire, cordial in a wine glass so I could be part of it all, and listening to family members recite, word for word, The Man From Snowy River or even The Sentimental Bloke. I took literature classes at university, but never got the hang of in depth analysis; I could never get past letting the words dance off the page and linger in my mind while I soaked them up. I really enjoy writing poetry. I am really quite terrible at it, but, like many things (singing and dancing both come to mind...) I don't let it stop me! There is something about painstakingly hand-picking your vocabulary in a manner that portrays the exact emotion you need it to... I can try one, two, five, ten different words and phrases until - insert evangelical music - I finally nail it! It is one of my favourite things to see in my students, too, when they figure out how powerful their words can actually be.
If your social media feeds are anything like mine, you would not have been able to miss NaPoWriMo - authors, literature lovers, libraries and the like are all getting amongst the poetry-writing action. Writers Victoria are even posting a prompt each weekday to encourage followers to put pen to paper. Schools will be utilising the resources available to celebrate in some way, shape or form... and I figure that us Light Readers should do the same! Here is a list of ways to celebrate National Poetry Month. Let me show you my favourite from the list:
#30. Celebrate National Poem in Your Pocket Day on April 30, 2015. The idea is simple: select a poem you love, carry it with you, then share it with coworkers, family, and friends.
What an idea! In the spirit of Poem in your Pocket Day, I'll share a poem that is very dear to me:
Since feeling comes first, by E.E. Cummings:
since feeling is first
who pays any attention
to the syntax of things
will never wholly kiss you;
wholly to be a fool
while Spring is in the world
my blood approves
and kisses are a better fate
than wisdom
lady i swear by all flowers. Don't cry
—the best gesture of my brain is less than
your eyelids' flutter which says
we are for each other: then
laugh, leaning back in my arms
for life's not a paragraph
and death i think is no parenthesis
I love this piece and the way that it speaks to me. It reminds me to try not to overthink things; feelings are first, and they should be trusted!
I would love for Light Readers to share poems you love, in tribute to Poem in your Pocket Day. Let us know the title and why you love it - let's share some poetry appreciation!!!
Rx
I adore poetry. I grew up with my favourite family events being cold winter nights around the open fire, cordial in a wine glass so I could be part of it all, and listening to family members recite, word for word, The Man From Snowy River or even The Sentimental Bloke. I took literature classes at university, but never got the hang of in depth analysis; I could never get past letting the words dance off the page and linger in my mind while I soaked them up. I really enjoy writing poetry. I am really quite terrible at it, but, like many things (singing and dancing both come to mind...) I don't let it stop me! There is something about painstakingly hand-picking your vocabulary in a manner that portrays the exact emotion you need it to... I can try one, two, five, ten different words and phrases until - insert evangelical music - I finally nail it! It is one of my favourite things to see in my students, too, when they figure out how powerful their words can actually be.
If your social media feeds are anything like mine, you would not have been able to miss NaPoWriMo - authors, literature lovers, libraries and the like are all getting amongst the poetry-writing action. Writers Victoria are even posting a prompt each weekday to encourage followers to put pen to paper. Schools will be utilising the resources available to celebrate in some way, shape or form... and I figure that us Light Readers should do the same! Here is a list of ways to celebrate National Poetry Month. Let me show you my favourite from the list:
#30. Celebrate National Poem in Your Pocket Day on April 30, 2015. The idea is simple: select a poem you love, carry it with you, then share it with coworkers, family, and friends.
What an idea! In the spirit of Poem in your Pocket Day, I'll share a poem that is very dear to me:
Since feeling comes first, by E.E. Cummings:
since feeling is first
who pays any attention
to the syntax of things
will never wholly kiss you;
wholly to be a fool
while Spring is in the world
my blood approves
and kisses are a better fate
than wisdom
lady i swear by all flowers. Don't cry
—the best gesture of my brain is less than
your eyelids' flutter which says
we are for each other: then
laugh, leaning back in my arms
for life's not a paragraph
and death i think is no parenthesis
I love this piece and the way that it speaks to me. It reminds me to try not to overthink things; feelings are first, and they should be trusted!
I would love for Light Readers to share poems you love, in tribute to Poem in your Pocket Day. Let us know the title and why you love it - let's share some poetry appreciation!!!
Rx