April is lovely enough already- spring breezes, light fragrant showers, spring sales at Payless Shoe Source…but there is another reason to love this month. April is a good month to wax poetic.

Since 1996, April has also been celebrated in the United States as National Poetry Month. After the success of Black History Month in February and Women’s History Month in March, the Academy of American poets organized the first celebration.

Image via Wikipedia

The purpose is to get ordinary people to enjoy poetry. There is no reason why the average American should not be familiar with e.e cummings or the Beat poets. After all, these poems were written for and about us- the American people. But don’t let poetic appreciation get stuck “from sea to shining sea”. An awareness of world poetry is also a part of national poetry month. The key is to learn about poets and poetic forms that you didn’t know about before.

So, what is poetry? Wikipedia defines poetry as “a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning”.

Webster’s dictionary defines poetry as “1 a: metrical writing : verse b: the productions of a poet : poems 2: writing that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience in language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning, sound, and rhythm3 a: something likened to poetry especially in beauty of expression b: poetic quality or aspect. “

The Encyclopedia Brittanica says that poetry is “literature that evokes a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience or a specific emotional response through language chosen and arranged for its meaning, sound, and rhythm.”

So, this is poetry:

If I told him would he like it. Would he like it if I told him.
Would he like it would Napoleon would Napoleon would would he like it.
If Napoleon if I told him if I told him if Napoleon. Would he like it if I told him if I told him if Napoleon. Would he like it if Napoleon if Napoleon if I told him. If I told him if Napoleon if Napoleon if I told him. If I told him would he like it would he like it if I told him.

-Gertrude Stein, “A Completed Portrait of Picasso”, 1923

And this is poetry:

The wind from Mt. Fuji
I put it on the fan.
Here, the souvenir from Edo

-Basho, (b 1644-d 16944)

I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by
madness, starving hysterical naked,
dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn
looking for an angry fix,

-Allen Ginsberg, “Howl” 1956

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

-The Holy Bible, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, circa 250 B.C

People don’t commonly read poetry for pleasure nowadays but the Internet can change that. Getting people to read poetry and develop their own love for it is the goal of National Poetry Month and there are many ways you can help. You can have a lot of fun, learn new things and get people to read- really read- poetry.

30 Ways To Celebrate National Poetry Month

1. Read a book of poetry.

2. Email poems to friends and family.

3. Google a poem or poet.

4. Memorize a poem.

5. Stop by open mic night.

6.Subscribe to a literary magazine.

7. Organize a poetry reading.

8. Write a poem on your city- use chalk.

9. Read some literary criticism.

10. Buy a poetry book (or two or more) for you library.

11. Carry a poem in your pocket.

12. Read a poet’s biography.

13. Start a “commonplace book”- a personal book of your favorite quotations and poems.

14. Go to a poetry reading.

15. Start a poetry reading group.

16. Put poetry in an unexpected place (coffee mug? t-shirt?shaved into your head?).

17. Revisit a poem that you’ve read before.

18. Get kids involved- parties, activities, etc.

19. Celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday (celebrated on April 23).

20. Request more poets on stamps from the United States Post Office- poets must be American and dead for ten years.

21. Sign up for a poetry class or workshop.

22. Hold a poetry class or workshop of your own.

23. Support literary activities ad organizations.

24. Watch a poetry film or documentary (Sylvia staring Gwyneth Paltrow, for example).

25. Write a poem- a good one.

26. Put a verse (or a whole poem) in your email signature.

27. Mail (that’s right, snail mail still exists!who knew?)a poem in a letter or greeting card to someone.

28. Teach someone how to write a sonnet, limerick, haiku, etc.

29. Recite a poem at a celebration.

30. Give a poetry anthology as a gift.