…I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree…

Poetry...it’s one of the earliest forms of literature that we all are exposed to.  At a young age, we enjoyed the rhythm and language of nursery rhymes.  In school we studied the great poets, Wordsworth, Browning, and Thoreau.  We turn to it for romantic inspiration.  But when’s the last time you took time to enjoy some good poetry, or better yet, sit down and write your thoughts in prose?  What better time to do it than now?

April is National Poetry Month.  In 1996, the Academy of American Poets established April as National Poetry Month in an effort to highlight and celebrate the art of poetry. 

According to the Academy of American Poets, National Poetry Month is a month-long, national celebration of poetry.  “The concept is to widen the attention of individuals and the media—to the art of poetry, to living poets, to our complex poetic heritage, and to poetry books and journals of wide aesthetic range and concern. The hope is to increase the visibility and availability of poetry in popular culture while acknowledging and celebrating poetry’s ability to sustain itself in the many places where it is practiced and appreciated.”

The Academy maintains a website and plans several events for the month of April.  Highlighted are a few that just might get your creative juices flowing.

• Celebrate National Poem In Your Pocket Day on Thursday, April 26, 2012!  The idea is simple: select a poem you love during National Poetry Month, then carry it with you to share with co-workers, family, and friends.  You can also share your poem selection on Twitter by using the hashtag #pocketpoem.
• Subscribe to receive a poem a day by email through the Poets.org website, or on your smart phone by downloading the Poem Flow app for the iPhone or iPod Touch.
• Support and learn about our local Georgia poets. 

CHECK OUT THESE TITLES AND MORE AT YOUR LOCAL BRANCH

We Almost Disappear by David Bottoms

David Bottoms has served as Georgia's Poet Laureate and was inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame in 2009. He teaches at Georgia State University and co-edits Five Points magazine.  He lives in Marietta, Georgia.

How to Write Poetry by Paul Janeczko

An award-winning poet shares advice and instructions for writing poetry with kids--from keeping a journal to developing an actual poem--in an essential handbook for every aspiring poet which includes a bibliography of great poetry books.

 A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson

Here is a classic, illustrated edition of one of the best loved poetry collections in the world. Lavishly illustrated with more than 100 pictures by the most distinguished children's book artists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, this edition of A Child's Garden of Verses contains all the poems that appeared in the original book, published over 100 years ago.