April is Poetry Month

April is Poetry Month and is has been so named since 1996, when the Academy of American Poets proclaimed it to be National Poetry Month. To celebrate, please considered  these four suggestions: read poetry, write poetry, enjoy poetry, and share poetry!

April is Poetry Month
Poem #1 Reading a Poem

READING A POEM
Do poems have hidden meanings|
like a box deep in your closet?
Or are they thoughts and feelings
like a cut-and-paste composite.

Are they about the rhythm?
Or the rhyme? The mood? The tone?
If it makes you cry or laugh
does this make it a poem?

The answer’s YES to all of this.
So read poems for a while
to see if they will make you think
or even make you smile.

by Denise Rodgers
Copyright©Denise Rodgers
All rights reserved.
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Readers and critics of poetry are often looking for hidden meaning in poems. This might be because poets often use simile and metaphor and other poetic devices that conjure up related images. And often these images do give insight into a given poem. That said, read a poem once through to understand (and hopefully enjoy) it. Then go back and appreciate the form and the poetic devices. It could be that you find meaning beyond what the poet intended. 

April is Poetry Month
Poem #2 Writing Poems

WRITING POEMS
There are twenty-six letters.
And words? There’s one million.
From Always and Beta and Coats
to a Zillion.

With so many choices,
our output is infinite.
But words are our playthings.
That much is definite.

So, we start writing,
our pen starts to roam.
Eureka! Unique!
We have written a poem!

by Denise Rodgers
Copyright©Denise Rodgers
All rights reserved.
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There are many pages of poetry instructions on this website that can get you started on the road to writing your own poems. You don't need paints or any equipment. A simple pen or pencil will do, along with a few sheets of paper or a notebook. 

April is Poetry Month
Poem#3 Enjoying Poems

ENJOYING POEMS
Poems are fun to read because
most of them are short!
Not so hard to wade through
like a novel or report.

Sometimes poems are funny,
and some of them are real.
Some can make you laugh or cry.
but most will make you feel
(something).

by Denise Rodgers
Copyright©Denise Rodgers
All rights reserved.
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Because poems are short, be adventurous and look for and read poems you've never read before. Read anthologies (collections of poems by several poets), and always be on the lookout for new poets and poems. 

April is Poetry Month
Poem #4 Sharing Poems

SHARING POEMS (the best gift)
A poem about your mother
or your grandpa or your dad.
Write it down on paper with
a pencil and a pad.

Put the words together
in a way that makes you care.
When it’s close to perfect…
time to wrap it up and share!

by Denise Rodgers
Copyright©Denise Rodgers
All rights reserved.
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Poems make memorable and treasured gifts for your family and friends. Keep this in mind for birthdays and special holidays. Read for yourself, and write for yourself and others.