Shari Della Penna
  • Home
  • About
    • My family
    • My work
    • My favorites
    • FAQ's
  • Contact
  • Blog

"Small acts of kindness can change and humanise our world."
   Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks 1948-2020
   ​Chief Rabbi of Great Britain, 1991-2020
                         Author, Advocate, Advisor

Poetry…What Does it Even Mean?

4/6/2021

0 Comments

 
I copied that BEST 
poem
and hung it on my
bedroom wall 
right over my bed
where I can
see it when I’m
lying 
down.

Maybe you could
copy it too
and hang it
on the wall
in our class
where we can see it
when we are sitting
at our desks 
doing our stuff.


                                                   from Love That Dog
                                             written by Sharon Creech
                                                      HarperCollins, 2001
                                                       (ebook, pub 2014)
    [Poetry: a] literary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm; poems collectively or as a genre of literature. (definition from Google on-line dictionary)
    In April 1996, the Academy of American Poets instituted National Poetry Month to remind us all that poets have an integral role to play in our culture and that poetry matters. In 2021, we are celebrating the Academy’s 25th anniversary of National Poetry Month.
    Since 2008, the Academy of American Poets has called attention to poetry in all 50 states with Poem in Your Pocket Day, this year on Thursday, April 29. If you don’t have a favorite poet, try one of mine. Mary Oliver, Robert Frost, Allison Pitinii Davis.
Here’s how you can participate: 
  • Tweet a poem using the hashtag #PocketPoem 
  • email a poem to your friends and family, local government leaders, and neighbors
  • Add a poem to your email footer 
  • Read a poem out loud from your porch, window, backyard or any outdoor space
  • Copy out a poem and carry it in your pocket

You can sign up for A Poem A Day in lots of places, too.
Poetry Foundation https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/154719/april-1984 
Academy of American Poets https://poets.org/poem-a-day 
Cuyahoga County Public Library https://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/Services/William-N-Skirball-Writers-Center/Poetry/Read-Write-30-Days-of-Poetry.aspx 

Why even do it? 
Sara Letourneau, https://saraletourneauwriter.com/2018/07/25/five-reasons-daily-poem-reading/ has five reasons. Her reasons, my comments.
  1. It’s easy. Most poems are short. They fit into small slots of time.
  2. Morning, bedtime, or anytime in-between, reading poetry shapes your day. A poem provides a “second breakfast,” exercise for your body—take your mind on a walk, or fertile fodder for dreams and problem solving.
  3. Poetry opens our eyes to new ways of seeing the world. Poetry confines itself to a limited scope and a sense of complexity. By combining old images in new ways and providing unusual comparisons, poetry is full of fresh perspectives, gifts to our imaginations.
  4. A poem can change your life, really.
  5. Reading poetry helps focus us on the musicality of our word choices, rhythm of our sentences, and voice we share with the world. Reading poetry makes us better listeners, talkers, and writers.
    Some people feel afraid of poetry.  Maybe they won’t understand it. Maybe they think they’ll miss what the poet meant. Any number of reasons can keep poetry apart from a person. But take the old Life cereal commercial to heart. “Try it, you’ll like it!”
    Sometimes it is a poem’s sound, its visual look on a page, or a stand-out image that gives me a smile, a nod, or an a-ha.
    Here’s a poem I wrote about not being able to write a poem. And I had a deadline. 
                         Stuck, Unstuck
            When a palm, potted and rootbound
            pursues the clouds,
            its fronds clatter applause.

            When a ship, bottled and corked
            dreams of tides,
            its sails luff in song.

            When this poet, soft-brained and pliable 
            explores the past,
            her synapses spit encouragement.

            When a pen, ink-heavy and uncapped
            sits impatiently, full of promise,
            a poem appears.
   
​    I’ll leave you with one of my favorites.
               
               Keep A Poem In Your Pocket 
               Beatrice Schenk de Regniers
        Keep a poem in your pocket 
        And a picture in your head 
        And you'll never feel lonely 
        At night when you're in bed.

        The little poem will sing to you 
        The little picture bring to you
        A dozen dreams to dance to you 
        At night when you're in bed.

        So - Keep a picture in your pocket 
        And a poem in your head
        And you'll never feel lonely
        At night when you're in bed.
                                          stay curious! (and think spring)
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

         I'm a children's writer and poet intent on observing the world and nurturing those I find in my small space .

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly