In April showers
We celebrate poetry
In all of its forms
As you can probably tell based on my haiku attempt, I am not a poet nor am I well-versed in poetry! However, I recognize how important poetry is to literature, to culture, and to individuals. Poetry helps us understand new things, connects us to one another, and allows us to express our emotions. Poets new and old have a special place in our world and for National Poetry Month, here are some poets, familiar or maybe unknown, to celebrate this April.
Hanif Abdurraqib
A Fortune for your Disaster: Poems
“There’s no doubt that Abdurraqib has a lot to be serious about, but it’s also refreshing to see the majestic illusionist draw the audience in with a little bit of close-up magic. He reminds us, with self-deprecating irony, that trust is important to both poetry and magic, and that if this trust is broken, it should be to dazzle, not to harm.” (Bracken, 2019)
Emily Dickinson
The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson
“Poetry to her was the expression of vital meanings, the transfer of passionate feeling and of deep conviction. Her work is essentially lyric; it lacks the slow, retreating harmonies of epic measures, it does not seek to present leisurely details of any sort; its purpose is to objectify the swiftly-passing moments and to give them poignant expression.” (Shackford, 1913)
Robert Frost
“He writes in classic metres in a way to set the teeth of all the poets of the older schools on edge; and he writes in classic metres, and uses inversions and cliches whenever he pleases, those devices so abhorred by the newest generation. He goes his own way, regardless of anyone else’s rules, and the result is a book of unusual power and sincerity.” (Poetry Foundation)
Saeed Jones
Alive at the End of the World: Poems
“The beauty of Jones’s poems lies in the way they approach death through the pleasures of being alive, deploying a redemptive levity or an acerbic conviviality to lend shape to catastrophe.” (Woo, 2022)
Ocean Vuong
“In this book, Vuong grieves the loss of his mother, but he also celebrates her existence. His strategy is to focus on the small moments in life that give our closest relationships their meaning.” (Chandonnet, 2022)
I hope you find some peace, healing, beauty, hope, or whatever it is you need from one of these poets or from any poet that catches your eye. And if you’re in the area, stop by the Library to see our wonderful National Poetry Month display where you can take a poem to support what you need.
-Linnea
Read it or Weep 