Let's celebrate National Poetry Month in a *perfectly imperfect* way

Each April is known as National Poetry Month

A month long celebration of words and their power, empowering others to use their own voices.

Many writers celebrate National Poetry Month by writing a poem a day throughout the month. I've tried this, too. It's hard because I'm a "recovering perfectionist." Your natural instinct is to edit your writing as you go, but the smart writers know not to do that. They may share these poems - or they might not. But it's the practice of writing poetry that's meaningful. 

In the spirit of doing things a little differently around here, I'd like to consider a different way to celebrate National Poetry Month. 

Let's celebrate words in a *perfectly imperfect* way. Why not? It takes the stress out of writing 30 poems in 30 days and it makes it more manageable. And isn't that what we all need right now? The pandemic is not yet over. 

So, let's focus on the little things to lift our spirits.

Again, in honor of National Poetry Month, I'd like to share a list of ideas for writers and non-writers alike to *celebrate* through small, meaningful gestures.

For non-writers:

• Go to your nearest (or your favorite!) bookstore, go to the poetry section. Pick up a random book off the shelf (maybe it's the first one that catches your eye or has an interesting title), go to page 37, and read the first line you see to yourself. Let the words mellow for a moment, then continue about your day.
• Is there a short phrase or anecdote your grandma or grampa used to say a lot? What was it? Tell this to someone else today, even if it's only a sentence or two.

I've spoken with so many people throughout my life who don't "get" poetry. As embarrassing as this is, I'm a published poet and I don't "get" poetry, either. That's not to say it's not worthwhile because it absolutely is. 

But I *don't* get poetry

What I've found is that poetry is more about how it makes you feel. I've long since learned poetry is not "what exactly is happening in this poem? and why didn't I *get* that the first time?" It's about depth, in a way, because the more times you read a poem, the more things you notice about it. You start to notice the author's word choice, how certain words appear on a certain line together and why certain words are not on that same line. How mixing words together, in different ways, gives you a different meaning. 

What are poems about?

You could compare it to a walk in the woods. You walk the dog by the river, on the river path. You've walked there together a thousand times. Some days it's overcast and it gets dark - almost nighttime - under the canopy, even though it's only 3:30 pm. Some days, like today, you see movement out of the corner of your eye. You investigate, it's a toad. Nothing spectacular about a toad, except you don't usually see one and therein lies the extraordinary. In the unexpected.

For me, reading a poem is about experiencing it. About running your finger over the toad's back, tracing the bumps and raised "freckles."

Reading a poem is about letting the words linger on your tongue as you silently mouth the words. About savoring the combinations of words. 

A poem is like a short story, without the conflict. One of my mentors once explained it like this: imagine two people in a room. What are they doing? If they just stand there, or sit at the table, then you have no story. They have to *do* something. How are they interacting with each other? Are they interacting at all? If not, why not? Explore the story there. 

"Plot grows out of character. If you focus on who the people in your story are, if you sit and write about two people you are getting to know better every day, something is bound to happen." ― Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

Now, for writers:

• What's your favorite poem? Recall a line of it in your head, while you're waiting in line. Or let yourself feel the poem in your body, as though you were reading it right now. Does reading it make you feel relaxed? or alert? or smiley? Notice this and let this feeling carry with you throughout the rest of your day.
• Once you're home, open your favorite book (even if it's not a poetry book) and look at the words. Say one line aloud. How many words start with the same letters? are there a lot of consonants? 

Let's be gentle with ourselves and let the power of words inspire us, even when we have a busy day. There's often time for joy, whether that's writing, reading, feeling inspired, etc.

What have you done to celebrate National Poetry Month in a *perfectly imperfect* way? Share your answer in the comments.