April is National Poetry Month
One of My Favorite Months
It’s the 3rd of April and I’m already five poems into the new month. I love April because it celebrates the Art and Craft of Poetry. Poetry can do a lot in a few words or lines. I’ve enjoyed short poems by Atticus and Rupi Kaur and long poems by Nikki Finney and Tracy K. Smith. All of the poems I’ve read have provided me insight into life, love, and society.
Poetry is a powerful tool for resistance. There are anthologies of poems centering on resistance, race, and rising above hatred. The best poems, in my humble opinion, are written by Black, Latino, and Asian poets. My favorite poets run the gamut from Gwendolyn Brooks to Amanda Gorman. I’ve enjoyed poems by Chen Chen and Danez Smith. I've learned about Sonnets from Terrance Hayes and how to tell a story in poetic form by Patricia Smith.
I love reading poems and attending poetry readings. COVID-19 has made in-person readings few and far between, but ZOOM readings are just as good. I recently heard a poem online from Nikki Finney. Her poem was a story and a history. As I listened, I was entranced by the imagery and the poem’s pacing. That’s the kind of poetry I want to write.
When I write, I usually begin with what I know. I write poems based on my surroundings — my home, my neighborhood, my work, and my family. I always listen to the adage, “write what you know.” But I also try and stretch myself beyond what I know. I’m a learner. I want to learn as much as I can. Next, I write poems about things happening in the country and the world. Whether it was Will Smith’s slapping Chris Rock, the war in Ukraine, or the shenanigans of Trump, I write my thoughts about those issues and others in my poems.
Poetry can be fun. It can be funny. It can make you laugh or make you wonder. A poem can be a riddle. A poem can be a joke. A poem can tell a story with a lesson. In publishing, many poets have their work published in novel form. Check out Elizabeth Acevedo’s “The Poet X.” It’s nothing but short poems written in a story form about a young Latinx teen girl dealing with school, her family, and a love interest. I loved the book and so did many of my students.
As a teacher, poetry can be a great way to engage students. Many students want to express themselves but have a hard time with the essay form. Poetry, being such a flexible genre, can be read and written in many forms. The rules of poetry are also flexible. They’re made to be broken.
My goal by the end of this month is to have written thirty poems. Thirty poems in thirty days. As I stated earlier, I’m already five poems in, so I’m a little ahead of the goal. I’m trying to read and write as much as I can this month. March was miserable. Too many distractions. Too much drama. I was all over the place. But I am back and I am ready to continue my writing journey. Poetry will lead the way.
