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| My son enjoys some of Spring's beautiful blooms. |
Yes, Spring is in the air.
Unfortunately this year, so is Covid-19. So is a lot of confusion, boredom, and hurt.
If you've read my last post, you know that I'm particularly coming off a hard year from 2019, the aftershock of which is going to last me a lifetime.
But it is also National Poetry Month. It is also that beautiful time of year when writers, professional, hobbyist, and amateur alike, take their fingers to the keys, their pencils to paper, their hearts to the world -- making and sharing poetry.
I have been participating in NaPoWriMo, the delightful challenge where you write a poem for every day in April, since 2011, before I even knew it was a thing.
And I don't see any reason to stop now. Especially when, even if I don't make the ultimate goal sometimes (or most of the time), there is the immense reward of having created and created regularly.
So, though I'm a few days late, let's get this NaPoWriMo going!
Few Rules:
- Try to write a poem for every day. It doesn't have to be day to day everyday. The ultimate goal is 30 poems this month. So if you're starting a little late, don't despair!
- Share your poem. Even if you just read it to your cat. Read your words out loud, or forward them to a friend. If you'd like to share links to your poems in the comments below, I'd be happy to give them a read as well!
And, if you're feeling extra brave or in the spirit, then you can post to your blog and share the links here, at this NaPoWriMo site where lots of authors are doing the same! - This is really my own rule, but: Let that first draft be. Don't do a lot of heavy editing.
The goal here is creation, not perfection.
I share my first drafts here, and then, if I do decide later that I want to edit and publish, I often take those poems down. Even if the final is notably different from the original, if someone is willing and ready to consider my work for publication, than I'm willing and ready to let their site be the place that gets traffic for it.
On that note, here's my first poem. I've written in one sitting just now, with a quick 2nd run edit, and it tackles this odd feeling I have been having about the gorgeous incoming Spring arriving with the onset of all of this stress and change in behavior. I'm not sure it is exactly what I mean to say, or how I should say it, but here it is nonetheless... my first NaPo poem. I've got a few days of catching up to do, so look for more soon!
NaPoWriMo: Poem 1
"The World is Waking Up"
The world is waking up
from a long hibernation
flowers burst alive, spotting
the revived pallet of green
while established ideals of normalcy
drop like spent cocoons
people burrow into their nests
to slow a rapid disease
and inhale reality
like buried seeds, the overlooked
and taken for granted
delivery drivers, cashiers,
and creators, public services,
nurses, teachers, and movie makers
are finally recognized
for their hold on our sanity
compassion and fear spin
in the April whirlwind
of leaves and petals
of chalk dust love notes
and lay offs.
it's time to reevaluate
the digital land surges as we halt
travel and crowds and machines
shrinking the billowing carbon
so nature can finally take a breath
perhaps it came to stop us
we couldn't stop ourselves
the grass is growing
the birds are singing
and we've been sent to our rooms
to think about what we have
and haven't
done
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