Did you have a chance to see Ada Limón read her poetry at Cerro Coso on March 17th? Of the poems she read, one of my favorites was called "The Contract Says: We'd Like the Conversation to be Bilingual." If you didn't have a chance to see her in person, you can check out this and some of her other work on the Poetry Foundation website.
As you may have guessed, the Cerro Coso library is celebrating National Poetry Month this April. Founded in 1996, this month is dedicated to poetry and poets like Limón, along with the impact they have on our world. Think poetry is a dying art form that has nothing to do with you? Turn on the radio - song lyrics are just poems set to music. Poetry is still all around us, so take a minute and take in a poem or two. (Hint: Poetry is best enjoyed when read out loud.)
Want another poem recommendation? A poem I have been thinking about recently is "Kupu rere kē," by Alice Te Punga Somerville, a Māori poet. The poem will playfully flip your point of view. On a deeper level, it uses italics to discuss the intersection of language and colonialism in New Zealand.
The best part of poetry month isn't just reading poetry - it's one where you can participate, too! Whether you want to write a Shakespearean sonnet in iambic pentameter or freestyle your love of chicken nuggets, poetry is a versatile art form. Here's a haiku I just wrote for you:
Shining white palace,
Cerro Coso stands above
The small desert town
Okay, it's a work in progress.
It's hard to write poetry if you don't have any good examples. Stop by the library to check out some modern poetry to see what it can do:
If you want to start with the classics, we have plenty of those as well. Here is just a sampling:
What will you write today?
Photo by Suzy Hazelwood from Pexels
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