The Inbox Dilemma
I guard my inbox with a double-sided battle-ax. When the girls at Bath and Body Works ask for my email address, I say “No thanks.” Everyone wants me to subscribe to something. But I have four kids and plenty of email about soccer practice, swim volunteer jobs, PTA dances, and the latest youth group activities.
My subscription list must be selective. Can you relate?
Here’s something worth the precious space in your inbox. Something literary, intelligent, and thought-provoking.
A poem.
April is National Poetry Month, and every year the kids and I memorize at least one poem. It’s my way of exposing them, and myself, to poetry, and besides, it’s good for the brain. Memorizing poetry improves vocabulary, articulation, and appreciation of rhythm. It can also be used, as noted in the iconic movie Dead Poets Society, to “woo women.” 😉
This year I’m adding a new tradition: I read a poem a day. The Academy of American Poets, via Poets.org, makes it easy. I give them my email address, and they send me one poem every morning. I get previously unpublished poems from talented American poets on the weekdays and classics on the weekends.
I’ve already been impressed with some beauties.
Why You Should Read a Poem a Day
Poems are treasures of condensed language, wit and beauty rolled into carefully plotted lines. Poems challenge us to use words in unfamiliar ways. And here’s a great quote from Naomi Shihab Nye, Academy of American Poets Chancellor:
When you live in a rapidly moving swirl, you can only view your surroundings with a glance. Poetry requires us to slow down, to take time to pause.
In a world spinning around 160 character long bits of communication, poems are short. You can read a poem over your lunch break, or to the family at dinner. Come on Word Nerds, don’t you have five minutes a day?
I’m afraid that if I let April slip by without poetry, I’m gonna miss something precious, like blooming tulips or the giggle of my eight year old.
Cool poetry stuff
Don’t know where to find poems? Lemme help.
- Sign up to receive a poem a day via email from poets.org.
- Check out Poems to Learn by Heart by Caroline Kennedy or Julie Andrews’ Collection of Poems, Songs, and Lullabies. These lovely collections are geared towards children, but they have a wonderful assortment of poems.
- Read your tweets as poems via Poetweet. Learn more about this fun app at J. Lynn Sheridan’s blog post, Just a Twitter of a Poem.
- Sign up for updates from Suburban Haiku. Peyton Price will have you laughing with her three line, 17 syllable commentaries on suburban life.
If you really want to get into the spirit of the month, you could join me and memorize a poem or two. This year I’m revisiting For Katrina’s Sun Dial by Henry Van Dyke.
Can you suggest other ways to experience poetry this month? Where do you find poems that inspire you? Does anyone out there write poetry?
Thanks for sharing!
Julia
My Dad wrote poetry to my Mom until the day he died. I did not inherit his ability, but I like poetry. I don’t take time enough. You have encourage me to do so this April. I think I will learn one by heart this year too. I tried last year, but only got the first two stanzas memorized. Wish me luck.
Come on, Judy. You can do it! What a sweet memory of your father. Do you have any of his poems? Could you memorize one of those?
Love this and I’m subscribing – esp after you summed up my life in your first paragraph :). I’m hooked on Billy Collins right now…
Thank you for the link, Julia! I’ve signed up and look forward to my poem a day. 🙂
Awesome, Debbie! I’m enjoying it so far.
poets.org also has a You Tube channel on which you can hear poets read their poems and talk about writing poetry.
Yes, I write poetry.
This is excellent info for aspiring poets and poetry lovers. Maybe my kids will be inspired…
Thanks for sharing!