A Poem A Day...
Does a poem a day keep the doctor away? All I can say is that the mornings when I wake up and read a poem - really savour it and let it seep into me - I feel fortified as I begin the day.
April is National Poetry Month in Canada. A great excuse, I think, to pore over the poems I love so much.
For those of us who may feel daunted by thick tomes and books that require a significant time commitment, poetry is a great opportunity. It's so often the distillation of life experiences and lessons by an honest observer in a beautiful little package. Potent wisdom.
I remember seeing the actress, Michelle Williams, in an interview some time ago. She pulled out a small book of poems from her handbag and said she'd made a habit of taking poetry with her wherever she went. This way, she'd have something to read and contemplate during those moments of waiting while traveling or going about her day.
There're as many types of poems as there are genres of literature. There're also many that traverse styles and topics and defy classification. In this sense, there's something that speaks to all of our human experiences, emotions, and dreams.
So much is available: classic and passionate love poetry by Shakespeare and Pablo Neruda. Adventure - through sagas like The Odyssey and The Illiad - and poems like The Road Not Taken. Poems about the natural world from Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, and Mary Oliver. Nonsense poems by Edward Lear, Lewis Carroll and Shel Silverstein. Want a laugh? Read some Philip Larkin, Oscar Wilde and Dorothy Parker.
In recent years, poetry's been experiencing something of a renaissance. Many have been touched by poets from long ago who wrote about what it means to be a human in such a deep and meaningful way that their work resonates today. Rumi, Hafez, and Kahlil Gibran, are a few examples.
In addition, we've seen some new poets who've also captured modern life in a few words. Their prose touches the soul and leaves us feeling lighter and a little more understood. Poets such as Cleo Wade, Nayyirah Waheed and Victoria Erickson. A few of my favourite poets that have become modern classics include Maya Angelou, E.E. Cummings and T.S. Eliot.
Do you have any favourite poems? Poets? Feel free to mention them when you're in the shop. We love learning about new heartfelt poetry. Perhaps you're the one writing poems.
Wishing you a wonderful April full of rejuvenating reading and writing.
