As I strive to become a better listener and to connect more with my
sense of hearing, National Poetry Month 2026 finds me writing daily,
handwritten, index card poems inspired by sounds and listening.. I have begun a new
notebook to collect the sounds I notice throughout the month, and I will
reflect on them in short poems. My ears - and my heart - are open wide.
I invite you to join me in this project, on any of my projects from the past 16 years,
or on a project of your very own. To do so, simply write a
poem each day of April in any way you wish. Share or don't share, as
you wish. Your poems are your poems. Your projects are your projects.
And if you wish learn a bit more about writing poetry, I welcome you to
the short lessons in the tab above: COAXING POEMS VIDEOS - 2024.
National Poetry Month 2026 Poems
Here is poem 15 -
Students
- Earlier this month I was lying in bed in the quiet dark air, and
suddenly I became aware of my heartbeat. The sound that people usually
use to describe the beating of a heart is lub-dub, and to me this lub-dub
sounds like footfalls, as if my blood is taking a hike through my blood
vessels and arteries and heart...and you know what? It is! My heart is
always beating, blood always lub-dub-hiking, and I usually just
don't notice. This month of listening-noticing has been a wonderful gift
to myself. How lucky I am to have a working heart.
Researching
the work of blood, I read a bit about other body sounds. We make all
kinds of noises related to food, and people sneeze and yawn with their
own style. Do you make stretching noises in the morning or little
satisfied noises when you eat or sighs when you're thinking or hums when
you're happy? You might consider making a little list of sounds that
come from you body. Maybe one will give you a writing idea.
You'll note that I use a lot of repetition here. That's because I wanted to mimic the sound of a heartbeat, alternating the lub-dub
with each different line. And yes. This is a metaphor. Blood does not
REALLY take a walk with feet as a complete body does, but blood can take
a walk in a poem. Metaphor helps us see things anew.
Today
I am grateful to spend time in two schools in Glen Rock, New Jersey.
Thank you to Byrd School and Hamilton School for welcoming me on this,
the halfway point of National Poetry Month. I am so happy to be spending
this fifteenth day of April with you.
To
learn about many of the wonderful National Poetry Month projects
happening online this April, visit the generous Jama Rattigan at Jama's Alphabet Soup.
May your heart feel full today...
xo,
a.
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