Today is Day 21 of the March Slice of Life – the daily writing challenge hoted at “Two Writing Teachers”
Today is also World Poetry Day. I have always loved reading poetry. I am often moved by the words written by poets. Reading the psalms or the beatitudes has always moved me. I suppose I have always loved Shakespeare for his poetry. Many of his soliloquies are so powerful. I still remember several I memorized in high school.
“To be or not to be…”
“The quality of mercy is not strained..”
“To thine own self be true..”
Using poetry in our schools is important. I loved using poetry often to encourage children to write.
Here is a quote about the benefits of poetry from a very interesting article
“Poetry should have a central place in all of our lives, not only for the aesthetic pleasure it affords, but also for its ability to awaken our senses, connect us with ourselves and others, and lead us to think in synthesizing ways, as required by its use of the language of metaphor.”
I have never written much poetry. I tend to write stories or essays in response to situations. The 30 Word Thursday challenge I have taken part in has been enjoyable.
This morning I read the poetry excerpts that Amanda Patterson included in her post today and many of her favourites are mine as well. Here are a few that I could reread often, that stir my soul:
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
Mary Oliver
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes…
Lord Byron
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Dylan Thomas
The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune in heard
on a distant hill
for the caged bird
sings for freedom
Maya Angelou
And a couple of my favourites not on her list”
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
What are your favourite poems?
Beverley A Baird 
Thank you first for reminding me of the pleasure of poetry. I have been chronicling poems on my blog by pairing poems I love with artwork Ive made. I title these posts, Poetry Break, as I think poetry helps us to see differently, to break our day into something unexpected.
Thanks Mary Ann. I will definitely check out your art. I usually pair a quote with my art. Love your idea.
I discovered the poet in me by writing here. What I love about poetry in general is the condensation of ideas into a few words. My imagination swirls around those well chosen words.
Thanks Kim. Something about the way a poet uses words is special.
Thank you for sharing World Poetry Day…Love the poets you chose. I might have to write about this tomorrow.
It took visiting someone else to discover what today was and inspired my post today.
Thank you for reminding me of these, especially Mary Oliver’s.
I especially love Mary Oliver.