Poetry Month: The Playground

Part of my current job involves "playground duty" during which time I play, chat, and mitigate amongst about three-to-four-hundred elementary school kids.  TODAY, however, was different.

Today was Poem in your Pocket day, and I spent all 20 minutes of my recess listening to kids read me poetry.  All except the two minutes I had to break up a fight and the thirty seconds it took me to yell at some kids who were playing in a mud puddle. 

The actually lined up to read their poems to me.  It was a rare and gratifying experience as a poet.

Poetry Month: Your Pocket

Next thursday is Poem in your Pocket Day.  Here's the idea:  find (or write) a poem, keep it in your pocket all day. When you have a chance, read it to someone.  Our school is making a contest out of it and I am very excited.  Here is a website that talks about it, but really I just explained it all, it's very simple.  What poem will you chose?  If you need ideas I have some for you. 

Poetry Month: Poems for Sale

I took a long weekend, but I'm back to finish out Blogging Poetry month.


I have always wanted to do this.  I think if I try now, I might feel like I'm ripping this guy off, but I really have always wanted to do it.  Like maybe at a booth in an arts festival. 

Poetry Month: An Original

This is a poem I wrote for an open mic night shortly after my daughter was born, and it will be appearing in my forthcoming ebook. (stay tuned for more info on that, BTW)  someone out there somewhere has video of me reading it, but I don't know who.  I'll post it if I find it. 

Baby Girl
We have a lot in common
my baby girl and me
we are both into a few of the same things
like long walks,
and my wife to name a few.
We both like to be held
we prefer company to solitude
and we both like to eat every 2 hours or so.
neither one of us likes wet pants
though there are times
neither of us can avoid it.
we share several favorite pass-times,
we aspire to be great
and to take great naps.
we like latin music
because we’re trying to improve our Spanish skills
we both like a little milk in the evening
and early in the morning when
her mom wakes us up
we both stretch out our arms
and vote for snoozing
and now (and this is the best part)
we’re a majority

Poetry Month: More from Twitter

I like twitter.  That's not a surprise to anyone who knows me.  Today I came across this, a list of poetry resources on twitter.  I'm not on the list, but I do follow a lot of them already.  enjoy!

Poetry Month: Memorizing Poems

A lot of people had to memorize poetry in school at some point.  Most people hated it.  I hated it.  I had to memorize a poem 3 different times, but guess what? I was lazy and I used the same one.  I think I regret it now, because I'm terrible at memorizing stuff, AND I found out that I actually like poetry.  Anyway, here's the poem I memorized.  I can still say it from memory.  AND it's still one of my favorites. 

Poetry Month: Song lyrics?

I like music.  For a little while I even thought I might be a song writer.  But over the years I've noticed some differences between song lyrics and poetry, and decided that poetry was more my thing.  Although there is more money in song writing, if you're good.

Especially worship lyrics, which can sometimes be the worst.

I think you may be able to consider lyrics a small subset of poetry.  It's the kind of poetry that sticks to a very strict rhythm, meter, beat, and usually rhyme pattern.  There is also very often things like chorus, refrain, bridge, etc.

However.

There is a lot poetry does that does not work in song, and there are a lot of songs that don't read like poetry.  They just don't.

Yes, there is some overlap, but I think it is important to recognize that they are different art forms.  I think it's like saying that oil painting and sidewalk chalk are the same.  OK, maybe you can make them look similar, if you're good, but they are different media.

NOTE This post was inspired by a conversation on twitter between myself and the twitter-account-manager of the Nazarene Publishing House, the text of which I will post/update below. 

me:
I have one question @NazPublishing why not poetry?

them:
We love poetry | Faith is expressed through the arts | @Lillenas; in song.

me:
@NazPublishing RT "We love poetry | Faith is expressed through the arts | @Lillenas; in song." || poetry ≠ worship music...

Poetry Month: 811

More and more these days, poets aren't making money from poetry.  OK maybe they never did, but whatever.  As a poet, I would like to direct your attention to the thousands of poets located in the 811 section of your local library.  They won't make a cent from you checking out their book, but every one of them would encourage you to do it anyway.

I actually prefer to stop in the "new books" section first, just to see what new poetry they have acquired recently.  When I find a book that I think I might want to pick up, I flip open to a random page or two and see what I think.  The key to getting into poetry is to find poetry that you LIKE.  It grows on you, as a genre, so if you don't like it, don't stress.  Just put it back and keep shopping. 

More Monday, but in the meantime have a merry Easter!

Poetry Month: kids

I've thought a lot about how my daughter will view poetry, having a dad who loves it and writes it and seeks it out.  Here is a good article about the importance of poetry for kids.  My parents introduced poetry to me as a kid, and I loved it from a very young age.  I even made some embarrassing attempts at writing poems, starting sometime around 1st grade.  SO, it's never too young to start, and this article has some suggestions.  I'll be looking for them next time we visit our local library.

Poetry Month: Poems of Jesus

Yesterday I received in the mail a copy of a new book by Willis Barnstone called The Poems of Jesus Christ.  I'm working on a review for the Englewood Review of Books, and I haven't really started reading it yet, but it looks interesting so I thought I'd share it. 

Here's the premise: Jesus was a poet, and due to centuries of formatting and translation, we have lost his poetic voice. 

If you want to know more, you'll have to wait to read my review, or you can buy it for yourself.  THEN read my review. 

Poetry Month: Twaiku

I mentioned twitter yesterday, and compared it to haiku.  Here is a haiku competition, including a twitter hashtag for what they are calling twaiku.  I still like poetweet better, but that hashtag is inexplicably used excessively in Mexico for things that are not poetry.  Oh well.

If you're newish to writing poetry, haiku is a great place to start.  Just ask any high school English teacher...

Poetry Month: Poetweets

I heart twitter.  I think it's really a poet's social media network, because it forces you to make your point with a certain concision and economy. 

For over a year now I have been writing what I call "poetweets" which are poems of exactly 140 characters, which is the limit on twitter.  For part of my forthcoming book I have gathered them all, and it actually reads pretty well, in my opinion, as poetry.  A lot like a haiku collection.  

If you're curious, you can read them here.

OR you can wait for my book.