Celebrating National Poetry Month-- April

Walking through the library yesterday I looked over and saw a sign announcing the news: National Poetry Month! Since I don't keep up with what "special topic" we are celebrating each month, I had no idea that there was even a "National Poetry Month".  And so this morning I looked it up and did a little reading about it, which went nicely with the current writing lesson/assignment in Jonathan's writing curriculum on the subject of poetry (pretty nice that those assignments fell right smack dab in the middle of National Poetry Month). So after I finished reading up on the brief history of N.P.M., I was pondering poetry, and thinking back over the many poems I had written as a child. How patiently mom read over them, or listened as I read aloud to her. Whether or not they were any good or not did not matter at the time, the practice, the business, of thinking up ideas kept me busy. Writing gave me something to pour myself into.

        The task of writing a poem can be challenging and exciting. Or, writing can help you begin healing from sadness, and other suppressed emotions which seem to surface when examining one's self for inner thoughts to express. As a teenager I would wonder alone in the woods thinking of ideas, songs, verses; listening to birds chirping, and squirrels rustling in the trees. Those verses and poems seem trivial and useless now, but they still hold some quality; because they gave me some way to exercise my creative ideas; a way to express myself. They were mine.

        The act of creative expression through poetry expands your talent as an individual. I would go as far as to say that any exercise that stretches your brain and exercises creativity will benefit you in some way. Encourage your children to write poetry-- hey, why not write some yourself, or write a poem together!

Since 1999 National Poetry Month has been celebrated as a way to increase awareness and appreciation of poetry. The idea was first introduced in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets. National Poetry Month is also celebrated in Canada.

In celebration, below I'm posting a poem which I've written and titled Creative Expression. I suppose it would nicely apply to the blogger, to the poet, songwriter, or journalist, as it describes one typing out individual ideas, and sharing creative thoughts.

Here are a few of mine:

Creative Expression

Take a breath followed by-

Tip tap, tapping, as fingers fly;

Pounding out rhythms, something more,

Revealing inner, subtle core.

Ponder may you? All the while,

Past, present, future, file;

Kept away, yet not unknown,

Through expression, they are shown.

Let them fly, set them free,

Let your language live and be;

Give ideas, graceful, new-

Share the uniquely resplendent you!

By: Bethany A. Evans

April 18, 2013 ©