April 1 is most certainly April Fool's Day... but it is also the beginning of National Poetry Month:
Inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, National Poetry Month is now held every April, when publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, schools and poets around the country band together to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture. Thousands of businesses and non-profit organizations participate through readings, festivals, book displays, workshops, and other events.
When I was on Facebook, I prided myself on posting a poem every day in April to celebrate. After I deactivated my account, I worried about what I'd do to honor the occasion, not realizing at the time that I would revive my blog. I've enjoyed discovering new poems (go back to 2007 and 2008 to find some of my old favorites), and am delighted to be sharing them.
Despite my sporadic uploads these last few months, I will once again attempt to blog daily, at least until the 30th, partly to comfort my monkey mind and partly to follow through on my poetry promise. Eeek, and sigh... 💜
SONG: Parachute by The Sea The Sea (this duo is amazing! As soon as I heard them, years ago, I knew I had to book them in the Labyrinth Cafe concert series at our local UU, and we finally made that happen in February 2015, in a co-bill with the equally-wonderful Jennings & Keller. Seems they released a new CD in September 2020, which I didn't know about; bonus song, cover of The Indigo Girls' Galileo, that a friend shared with me earlier today... 💞 )
POEM: Rules For Poetry by Rick Lupert
Never use adjectives
unless you’re trying to describe something
and you don’t want to do it the hard way.
Never use the word “forever.”
It reminds people they’re going to die
and the last thing you need is people distracted
by their mortality during your poem.
Write what you know
unless you’re a fool, in which case
look to the internet, and write about something there.
Avoid vowels
and their angry sister
the letter Y.
Avoid cliché.
On the other hand…
Learn the difference between
epigraphs,
epigrams and
episiotomies.
Use as few words as possible.
In fact, hand out blank sheets of paper
and tell people it’s your finest work.
If you ever use the phrase “darkness in my soul”
be prepared for me to come to your house
and kill you.
If you’re going to write in form, do it right.
For example, as I understand it, a haiku
is eight hundred words written while
sitting on a cheesecake.
Line breaks are important,
but use them carefully. Once you’ve broken a line
its parents will never forgive you.
Finally, go to poetry workshops.
Sometimes they serve food and
you can’t write poetry if you’re dead
because you forgot to eat.
QUOTE: Poetry isn't a profession, it's a way of life. It's an empty basket; you put your life into it and make something out of that." ~ Mary Oliver
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