Poetry Month

StartFragment

April is poetry month. Poetry is, frankly, the basis of intellectual development in human civilization. The earliest known poem reads:

See the mammoth

It's so big

I'd really rather

Eat a fig

National Poetry Month was established by the Academy of American Poets in 1996

A Poet’s Reflection

Poetry is the largest literary celebration in the world with schools, publishers, libraries, booksellers, and poets celebrating poetry’s vital role in our culture. From the images of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, through Shakespeare’s sonnets, to modern Rap, poetry plays a role in our education, music, plays, stories, and commemorative statements.

My first publicly read work, however, was a poem dedicated to a boyhood friend who had been killed in a tragic accident when we were attending junior high school. It was read at my friend’s funeral. Years later, college magazines and newspapers featured my work.

In 2001, I was privileged to become the author of The War Poems that were requested by Albert Thomas, former statewide commander of the V.F.W., Department of Pennsylvania. The War Poems commemorate all who have served, or are serving under the flag of the United States, as well as in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, 911, and aboard the Battleship New Jersey. Since 2001, The War Poems have become a part of private collections, have been read at veterans’ funerals, July 4th celebrations, veterans’ picnics, and are showcased at Veteran’s Haven North in Glen Gardner, New Jersey, the Military Museum in Punta Gorda, Florida, and they are part of the gift collections at the George W. Bush Library and Museum in Texas.

I have been writing verse for years, much of it funny and irreverent, to be read at retirement parties and special birthdays for family and friends. I also write special verse to be framed and hung on walls for people to enjoy daily. The War Poems are such works. They are constant reminders of those who gave their lives for this nation.

Words are more powerful than anything else in our lives. Consider the Declaration of Independence, United States Constitution, Gettysburg Address, the magnificent words by Emma Lazarus on the Statue of Liberty, and so many other wonderful proclamations. Poetry allows us to put our thoughts, emotions, insights, joy, suffering, and love on paper and to share the beauty, pain, elation, and wonder of being alive.

In honor of National Poetry Month I have chosen a commemorative verse that I have only read once in public, as part of the eulogy for my brother-in-law in 2000. My brother-in-law, indeed, my one and only brother, was a mighty hunter and sportsman. The words that follow were written about and for him.

What does poetry mean to you? Is there a poem or poet you’d like to share? Add to the discussion and post it below.