Throughout April Anythinkers are sharing their favorite poems in honor of National Poetry Month. To start things off, I will discuss one of my all-time favorites: “Totally” by Tony Hoagland.
Ursula K. Le Guin was a writer: a novelist, poet, essayist, translator, and children’s book author. One of the most influential writers of the 20th century, she was most widely known for her Earthsea fantasy series and science fiction novels, including The Left Hand of Darkness.
The newly released DVD Paterson, directed by Jim Jarmusch is an enjoyable ride through work week monotony. Instead of hunting down the rebel cause and attempting to extinguish the Jedi, Kylo Ren has a new job description. Armed with a watch, journal and blue uniform, Adam Driver takes on the role of bus driver.
Poetry is a handful of silver coins, shaken and shivering, clink clicking. Prose is a paper bill, less inviting to the senses, in the other hand. Poetry asks for you to be present, aware of your senses and alert to meaning. It calls for you to hear its rhymes, feel its rhythms, and converse with its words.
A: April. April is a poem – sudden, with flowering branches and changing winds. With its beauty and cruelty, and its sense of awakening, the month of April calls for attention to poetry. The call continues in May, with its new greening and feathered singing. This April is on the wing: fleeting, fleeing, flying. I invite you to celebrate poetry in the coming weeks – to enjoy some poetry in a way that works for you.
April is National Poetry Month. It’s time to find, flutter, fly. You can take wing, with words.
What is a poem? “A poem is when you have the sky in your mouth,” says Lolo, a character who is always in love, in This Is a Poem That Heals Fish.
What is a poem? It is the white heron rising in flight for Mary Oliver — "Ah yes, I see him. He is exactly the poem I wanted to write.”
Poetry can open a window, allowing for a fresh look at a familiar view. These books of poetry for kids all focus on nature, word play and pictures, in ways that help readers rediscover the world outside. I found all five books to be delightful, providing both a quick read and a deep experience. The lyrics and images combine to recreate forest, ocean or sky. Exploring them expanded my sense of the exterior world while strengthening the quiet of my interior self.
