It's National Poetry Month!
Fittingly, Alberto Rios is gathering artists:
On Gathering Artists
Alberto Ríos
Who does a job well, and very well—
These are the artists, those curious
Lights.
We are cobblers of the song
And barkers of the carnival word,
We are tailors of the light
And framers of the earth.
We fish among the elements
And hunt the elusive green in gray and blue.
We drink forbidden waters
And eat an invisible food.
In this time of electronic-mail and facsimile
Conversation, we send as our voice
The poem, the bridge, the circuit, the cure
Whose electricity is made from dreams,
....
(Read the rest here, at Poets.org and more about Alberto Rios here.)
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National Poetry Month "Did you know?" stuff:
- You can find out more about NPM here.
- April 10 is Poem in Your Pocket Day.
- If you haven't already, find the National Poetry Month poster here and consider a donation to the Academy of American Poets to send the poster to more classrooms and libraries.
- Did you know there is a Poetry Foundation Library in Chicago?
- Jama Rattigan, picture book author and blogger extraordinaire, has a round-up of all the National Poetry Month goings-on in the kidlitosphere.
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13 comments:
Rios' poem is a testament to creativity with so many images as we read along. Thanks for sharing it and happy NPM!
Hi, Janice! Yes, he's terrific, isn't he? Happy NPM!
Ooo, thanks for highlighting this poet! 🕊️… have placed his 2020 collection, Not Go Away is My Name, on library hold for a reread.
Love this poem and Rios's work in general. Did you know he has a new collection coming out April 8?
An absolutely perfect poem to kick off NPM, Karen!
This poem is new to me. I enjoyed it and will look for more of his work.
Thank you for sharing Rios' poem, Karen. It is a new one for me.
I loved Rios's poem and the spirit it conveyed. Thank you for sharing it!
Karen, Thank you for introducing me to Rios and this poem. I particularly love these lines:
"How easy to spend a day writing a poem,
How hard to spend a life writing a thousand."
I feel like that...sometimes, continuing to write poetry is hard. Success with it seems to be elusive goal.
The above comment is from me. Sorry for using my alternate email - I have to correct it.
I've been out of town, but I'm back, and catching up on comments. :)
* elli, enjoy your reread!
* Jama, yes, it's on my wishlist too! :D
* Thanks, Matt — I agree!
* Linda, I think you'll love him.
* Rose, enjoy getting to know Ríos. He's wonderful.
* Karin, so glad you enjoyed it!
* Carol, I was struck by those lines as well. So good, so true.
Thank you for sharing this poem! It was wonderful. And, happy Poetry Month to you!
Karen, thank you for sharing the poem. It is a lovely celebration of what art does in our world. In the midst of electronic communication, the artists:
"...send as our voice
The poem, the bridge, the circuit, the cure
Whose electricity is made from dreams,"
Here's to the arts!
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