Happy National Poetry Month!

“Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.” – Langston Hughes

As many of you may know, April is National Poetry Month! This is the first year I learned of this. Doesn’t it seem like we are always learning about a “new day” or a “new month” we need to honor! 🙂 I guess I don’t mind because it becomes an excuse to celebrate and perhaps in some cases… practice our creativity! 🙂

It appears that National Poetry Month began in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets

I saw a post about it on social media this year. Why didn’t I know about this before? 

Anyways, it is a month to remind us about the value of poetry in our culture, and the role it has played in our lives. 

“Without poetry, we lose our way.” —Joy Harjo

Has poetry influenced you in any way, or are there poets that inspire you?

Well, I have had a passion for writing and poetry since I was a child and I have shared a few of my own poems in this space in the past… nothing great, just ones that have been special to me… those that were not completely garbage … 🙂 

But I also like to occasionally share some of my favorite poems from my favorite poets…

Like Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, Dorothy Parker, Jalaluddin Rumi, Mohamad Iqbal, among many others… 

During Women’s History Month in March, I reread this poem, by Maya Angelou, which I shared in an old post:

Still I Rise by Maya Angelou

And here is one from Langston Hughes I shared in 2016:

Let America Be America Again – Langston Hughes

Here is one of my earlier poems I wrote, a special one which I have shared at several different venues since college, including at my favorite spot at Busboys and Poets, in the DC area:

Invisible

 

Over the remaining days of this month, I will occasionally share some poems I enjoy here… and maybe one or two I had written recently myself… They cannot meet the caliber of the artists out there now and the ones that have inspired me. As I am not a great poet or a good writer. But I really believe that you don’t have to be great at something you enjoy doing... especially if it comes from your heart. Since I was a kid, I would always write. I just felt the most liberated through writing… I am in my late 30s now, and I feel there is so much creative potential that I have suppressed because I felt like I had to follow a certain path in life… and I still think that I have the potential to grow in my creative writing, including my poetry.

It’s never too late to learn a new skill or to improve an ole rusty one! 

I’ll begin with Maya, Langston, and Jalaluddin today. We seem to be on a first-name basis. 🙂  Back when I first started this blog, I shared this poem from our beloved Rumi:

http://www.warrioretkqueen.com/taking-in-the-night-from-the-soul-of-rumi/ 

 

But here is another killer piece from the “Soul of Rumi” which I really like:

Blade

The soul of this community is coming 

toward, the sun on his forehead, 

wine jar in right hand, stride by

stride. Don’t ruin this chance with

politeness and easy promises. The 

help we called for is here, the

invitation to join with great souls. 

Any place we gather becomes a ceremony

on the approach to the Kaaba. Meaning:

pass quickly through your being into

absence. The self of your name and fame

secures you with a new knot every moment. 

Personal identity is a sheath. The 

creator of that, a sword. The blade

slides in and unites: worn covering 

over bright steel, love purifying love. 

 

I hope you take a moment this month to craft something of your own or to appreciate some of your favorite poets!

Happy National Poetry Month!

Peace, Warmth, and Blessings,

Your sister, Dr. Elsa TK

Warrior KQueen

“She wasn’t looking for a Knight, she was looking for the Sword.”  – Atticus

 

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