April is National Poetry Month. Stay with me please! I know the idea of reading poetry doesn’t appeal to all people. I’ve heard many people say “I hate poems,” or “I never understand poetry.” That hurts my soul, because I believe the truth underlying those statements is either that the person has never been properly taught how to read and appreciate poetry or that they only remember being forced to read poetry in school and never really connected with poems that spoke to them. Yes, some poems are hard. There are many I read that I come to the end and say, “I don’t get it. I don’t like it. It’s not for me.” And that’s okay. Because there are others that I read that awaken emotions in me and reflect who I am and what I have experienced and it’s like spending time in the presence of a good friend. My goal was from the beginning of this month to share some of my favorite poems and poets each day of April. Obviously, I failed at that. But over the next couple of days I am going to try to change that. Please be open and check some of these out. And even if there is a poem you don’t understand as a whole but it does have that one line or turn of phrase that speaks to you, hold on to that. Because that is enough. And don’t be ashamed of the ones you don’t get or don’t like. It’s fine. Just like novels, non-fiction books, and yes even movies, we all have our own genres that work for us. Doesn’t make one wrong or right. It just makes us different. And that is a good thing.
I have started today with Robert Morgan who is a native North Carolinian. He is currently a literature professor at Cornell University. I find many of his poems to be accessible in a way that they present simply with easily recognizable ideas or things. But within that simplicity can be some very profound meanings and truths. There are many layers within his poetry. That is one reason I wanted to start with him. I think whether you are a poetry reading novice dipping your toes in the water or you are an experienced reader who can deep dive into the depths, you can appreciate his work.
Notes from a Book Nerd 