April is National Poetry Month

Have you read a poem today? The Poet Laureate of the Pikes Peak Region has instituted a program called Poetry While You Wait to celebrate National Poetry Month. To view the poems online, go to: http://www.pikespeakpoetlaureate.org/poetry_while_you_wait.html . The vision behind the program is to give people waiting in doctor's offices, bus stops, car repair places, and etc. a choice of poetry as reading material as an alternative to the over thumbed through and months out of date magazines that are usually the only offerings. And to make poetry a part of every day life.

As one of the poets chosen to participate in this project I've had the pleasure of meeting Aaron Anstett, current Pikes Peak Poet Laureate, as well as many other poets writing in the Pikes Peak region. We've gotten together to practise reading our poems aloud and supported each other during the video taping of our read-alouds for the Pikes Peak Library District's t.v. channel and audio sessions with KRCC, our local NPR station. In addition we've had opportunities to perform our poetry live to several different audiences.

I've written and published poetry for years but never took the step of performing them in public. This has been an eye opening experience for me. I hope this program continues for many years.

So, April is National Poetry Month...have you read a poem today? Enjoy!

It's National Poetry Month...

...have you read a poem today? If not, go to http://www.pikespeakpoetlaureate.org/poetry_while_you_wait.html to read some awesome poems written by Pikes Peak area poets.

April is National Poetry Month ...

Have you read a poem today?

In honor of National Poetry Month I'm inviting anyone who wishes to post a poem in the comments section of this blog. Go ahead, be brave and post one of your own. I'm going to, to start it off. The only thing is, if you post a poem written by someone else please make sure you have persmission to use it or it is already a public domain poem. I'd rather not deal with any copyright issues. And please feel free to comment on poems posted, but be polite. Poets are sensitive souls. Most of all, have fun.

Poetry is meant to illuminate a moment in time, space, or the human spirit. Some are light, some heavier in tone. All have the ability to create an emotional response in the reader, at least that's what poets hope for.

The Pikes Peak region, where I call home, has just inaugurated its very first Poet Laureate, a poet by the name of Aaron Anstett. For information about this program and about this poet, please go to http://www.pikespeakpoetlaureate.org/. There are tabs at the top of the page that will help you navigate around. If you are a teacher, you might want to check out the "For Educators" tab. This is such a new program that the site might seem a bit lite (was that a rhyme?) but I know they'll be adding more to it soon and often.

Okay, now for my poem. I wrote this one shortly after the tragedy of September 11, 2001. Many poets felt the need to put their feelings into words as a way to somehow work their way through the horror of the experience. The Gazette, our local newspaper, printed this one. It's probably one of my longer and more emotional published poems.

911
(c) 2001 by Karin Huxman

You can't believe.
It can't be right -
A hoax.
Airplanes do not fly
Into buildings.
Instead of apologizing
Networks rerun footage.
Disbelief morphs into
Creeping horror.
Each rerun,
Each fireball,
Each view of bodies falling,
Concrete shattering,
Steel girders raining down
Like giant toy sculptures
Gone awry -
Becomes a human moment
Juxtaposed against inhuman
Comprehension.
America's throat closes around
The dust clogged air that is
Lower Manhattan.
Lungs labor,
Hearts ache, but still beat
Against the next ... Replay.


If you are a school teacher or have children and want to encourage them to write poetry, please visit my children's book website, http://kdhuxman.wordpress.com. I'd love to see some children's poetry posted.

It's National Poetry Month. Who else wants to play?