April 30th marks the end of National Poetry Month and the culminating game of "Poem in Your Pocket". Here's what the Academy of American Poets(poetry.org) website suggests:
- Select a poem and share it on social media using the hashtag #pocketpoem.
- Simultaneously participate in the Shelter in Poems initiative, and select a poem that brings you solace during this time of distance and solitude. Share what it means to you and use the hashtags #pocketpoem and #ShelterInPoems.
- Print a poem from the Poem in Your Pocket Day PDF and draw an image from the poem in the white space, or use the instructions on pages 59-60 of the PDF to make an origami swan.
- Record a video of yourself reading a poem, then share it on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, or another social media platform you use.
- Email a poem to your friends, family, neighbors, or local government leaders.
- Schedule a video chat and read a poem to your loved ones.
- Add a poem to your email footer.
- Read a poem out loud from your porch, window, backyard or outdoor space.
Personally, it signifies the second round of me trying poetry month experiments with my Spanish classes at Windsor High. Of course, this year was the height of strangeness as I attempted to rally the students with an assignment that asked them to post a poem on Instagram. While almost all students participated in the world of Google Classroom, only some posted their poem and imagery online to my @proyectopoemasespejos Instagram page. Many have private profiles, so even if they used the hashtag as directed, it wouldn't appear on the page. PROGRESS NOT PERFECTION, folks. I wish I had the time to personally post everything they submitted, but between teaching my full-time load and guiding my daughter's schooling, it just wasn't possible. However, the goal to get students interacting with poetry in Spanish: WIN/WIN!
It's also the perfect day to share a few of my poems here as well as on my new poetry Instagram page @extracurricularverse. Here's my Haiku poem that appears in the profile:
Extracurricular Verse
The classroom closed, and
the songs refused to sing. Then,
a poem appears
My first poem post will be one that's been on my mind recently due to the excessive focus on housekeeping during this Shelter in Place experience and a good reminder from nature. Hope you enjoy it.
Mother Nature is a Shitty Housekeeper
Who throws everything on the ground
to rot, swept only by
the wind?
Larvae and worms creeping,
lifting blind extremities
toward raindrops
right where everyone walks!
When it’s cold, lets frost strike citrus,
or the summer sun brittle and fade
all that is carelessly
scattered?
“Live and let live,”
she states serenely,
though I would rather die
in antiseptic order.
But every verse and song
from the beginning
can’t stop praising
her amazing skills:
“How beautiful!”, we burst forth
while balding treetops
shed rusty reds and orange;
piled, scattered without
pattern, and rain
puddles, pours caldrons
of muddy slop sloshing
everywhere, and snow
blankets
the chilling disaster;
distracts all
in muffled meditation.
“So serene!”, we breathe when
slender foxes
ache in hunger
inside dreamy dens.
“Fend for yourselves, loves!”
she chirrups.
No one gets fed for months!
Yet
she remains
a hero.
A champion crowned
in springtime blossoms,
self-sustaining bulbs, nonetheless-
daffodils and tulips,
lilies, hyacinth
seep homages of sweetness!
How does the bitch do it?