Monday, April 1, 2013

National Poetry Month: it begins


Today National Poetry Month begins! I am freakishly enamored with poetry, so this is my favorite month. It is a time to recommit to writing poems every day and to shout, Thank you, Poetry, I love you

Not that I am a particularly talented poet. It's just that writing poetry has changed my life. Over the years, the magic of reading and writing poems has been an essential emotional outlet, a safe place to work out what my life is about, and a delightful adventure. All of those, plus a way to connect with kindred spirits. What a deal.

I am certain this world would be a much better place if everyone wrote a poem a day. Try it, just for the month of April. Don't worry about whether your poems are good or bad. That doesn't matter. Process is everything. Just try it. And thank me later.

Just to show that I practice what I preach, here is a poem I just wrote. It is kind of...  eeh, mediocre. But who cares? Finding it was fun and gave me a chance to play with words, which is always a good thing.


Rice Paper Kite

Inside my lungs
is a well
ten feet deep,
and a cistern
where thoughts
overflow.

I am light,
translucent,
suspended on
a lofty beam.

I am flexible,
invisible,
a rice-paper
kite zooming
toward the sun.

    -Kimberly Laustsen



2 comments:

  1. Kim,

    I don't think your poem is "Eeh" I think it's good :-) I like your imagery of your spirit being lifted toward the sun and blown by the wind like a rice paper kite. Very good! And....now you've inspired me to practice writing poetry...way to go.

    Laura

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  2. Aww, cool. Thanks! Enjoy finding your words.

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