Established by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, National Poetry Month begins on April 1st and runs through April 30th. The largest literary celebration in the world, this month-long celebration of poetry is held every April “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.” During April, poets, poetry lovers, publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, and schools throughout the United States celebrate poetry.
One of the challenges of NPM is to read and/or write a poem every day. So ... in the spirit of the observance, as I’ve done for the past several years, I offer you a prompt re-visit that I hope will be inspirational for each of April’s thirty days.
Guidelines:
1. Each day, think about the key word (in caps next to the date).
2. Then click on the link and read the poem—one each day of the month. Let each day’s poem inspire you.
3. After thinking a bit about the content of the poem you read, identify something in that poem that “strikes a chord” for you.
4. Working from that “chord,” try to write a poem of your own that somehow incorporates the key word (doesn’t have to be exact) and which may or may involve content similar to the example poem.
5. I’ve deliberately made some leaps in the ways my key words sometimes differ from the content of the poems to which I’ve matched them—take some leaps yourself!
Tips:
1. Don’t feel compelled to match your content to the examples’—in fact, do just the opposite and make your poems as different as you possibly can. The inspiration titles and the example poems are only intended to trigger some poetry-spark that’s unique to you, to guide your thinking a little—don’t let them enter too deeply into your poems, don’t let their content become your content.
2. Let your reactions to the key words and poems surprise you. Begin with no expectations, and let your poems take you where they want to go.
3. Give the topics your own spin, twist and turn them, let the phrases trigger personal responses: pin down your ghosts, identify your frailties, build bridges and cross rivers, take chances!
4. Keep in mind that writing a poem a day doesn’t mean you have to “finish” each poem immediately. You can write a draft each day and set your drafts aside to work on later.
5. Whatever you do this month, find some time (a little or a lot) to enjoy some poetry!
April 1—REMEMBRANCE
“If You Forget Me” by Pablo Neruda
http://allpoetry.com/If-You-Forget-Me
April 2—THE COLOR RED
“The Red Wheelbarrow” by William Carlos Williams
http://allpoetry.com/The-Red-Wheelbarrow
April 3—AGING
“When You Are Old” by William Butler Yeats
http://allpoetry.com/When-You-Are-Old
April 4—PEACE OF MIND
“Where the Mind Is Without Fear” by Rabindranath Tagore
http://allpoetry.com/Where-The-Mind-Is-Without-Fear
April 5—SOUND or SOUNDS
“Echo” by Christina Rossetti
http://allpoetry.com/poem/8449151-Echo-by-Christina-Georgina-Rossetti
April 6—MUSIC
“I am in Need of Music” by Elizabeth Bishop
http://allpoetry.com/I-Am-In-Need-Of-Music
April 7—A DAY TO REMEMBER
“A Golden Day” by Paul Lawrence Dunbar
http://allpoetry.com/A-Golden-Day
April 8—BEING ALONE
“Alone Looking at the Mountain” by Li Po
http://allpoetry.com/Alone-Looking-at-the-Mountain
April 9—HAPPINESS
“A Moment of Happiness” by Jalal al-Din Rumi
http://allpoetry.com/A-Moment-Of-Happiness
April 10—LOVE
“April Love” by Ernest Christopher Dowson
http://allpoetry.com/poem/8509781-April-Love-by-Ernest-Christopher-Dowson
April 11—BIRDS
“Birdhouse” by Diane Lockward
http://www.versedaily.org/2010/birdhouse.shtml
April 12—PATTERNS
“Patterns” by Amy Lowell
April 13—RAIN
“The Rain” by Robert Creeley
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/171562
April 14—BOREDOM
“Dream Song 14” by John Berryman
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/176994
April 15—NAMES
“The Naming of Birds” by Edwin Romond
http://www.yourdailypoem.com/listpoem.jsp?poem_id=2173
April 16—INDIFFERENCE
“Twilight” by Henri Cole
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/247914
April 17—ROMANCE
“The Romantic” by Gerald Stern
https://poets.org/poem/romantic
April 18—LISTENING
“The Risk of Listening to Brahms” by Michael T. Young
http://www.rattle.com/the-risk-of-listening-to-brahms-by-michael-t-young/
April 19—CHANGES
"The Moment I Knew My Life Had Changed" by Maria Mazziotti Gillan
April 20—WAKING
"Why I Wake Early" by Mary Oliver (Audio)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4O_QcpJlzc
April 21—FAILURES
“Failure” by Philip Schultz
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/poem/2007/10/failure.html
April 22—PROMISES
“Family Promises” by Laura Boss
https://laurabosspoet.wordpress.com/poems/
April 23—FAMILY MEMBERS
“Fists” by Joe Weil
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hq1wYgavJ2U
April 24—LIFE
"The Yellow Brick Road" by Donna Baier Stein
http://www.saintjulianpress.com/donna-baier-stein---the-yellow-brick-road.html
April 25—FAITH
“Breakfront” by Bob Rosenbloom
http://www.yourdailypoem.com/listpoem.jsp?poem_id=180
April 26—THE FUTURE
“To the Next Centuries” by James Richardson
http://www.thenation.com/article/next-centuries/
April 27—SPRING
“Spring” by Christina Rossetti
http://www.yourdailypoem.com/listpoem.jsp?poem_id=3668
April 28—MAGNOLIA BLOSSOMS
“Dear Magnolia Blossom” by Grace Marie Grafton
http://www.yourdailypoem.com/listpoem.jsp?poem_id=3439
April 29—ANIMALS
“Hedgehog” by Paul Muldoon
https://www.best-poems.net/poem/hedgehog-by-paul-muldoon.html
April 30—MORNING
“On The Pulse of Morning” by Maya Angelou
https://poets.org/poem/pulse-morning
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