poem-in-your-pocket day!

ahhh! perhaps my favorite day in the whole of april-- the day i first heard about and started celebrating in new york-- the day when, ideally, EVERYONE walks out the door in the morning with a little slice of poetry in his or her pocket and can therefore ask ANYONE he or she meets on the street to share that poem...two years ago, when i was commuting on the subway every day, i was thrilled to find that on this fun holiday many of my fellow riders did in fact have poems to share-- i met a dylan thomas, a gwendolyn brooks, a few shakespeares, a gary soto, a carl sandberg, and even a jewel (! ha!) all in the space of 6:50 to 7:32 am on the downtown 2 train! last year, i was lucky enough to be teaching english at desert academy in santa fe-- my students were told that if they carried a poem and then, upon being asked to do so read it to me with heart and feeling, they could earn extra credit! the spirit spread around the school more widely than i had anticipated [i particularly remember colin's rilke recitation!] and i wish i could be there this year to spread it even further! games classes at waldorf just don't present the same opportunity....


HOWEVER, i intend to carry a poem in my own pocket today! my selection for this year is a poem that i sent out in my poem-a-day emails back in january-- i hope you forgive me for the repetition :)

get articulate.
move the blood.
attend periphery.
prepare to dance the Open Dance.
learn to gather momentum and
throw it away.
explode into the ordinary and
keep your eyes wide
embrace fear.
suspend doubt.
specify.
simplify.
strengthen.
launch.
float.
dignify the confusion.
visualize the next step.
stick your toe in.
get all wet!

~barbara dilly



for more information about poem-in-your-pocket day, check out...


http://poets.org/page.php/prmID/409

!