It’s National Poetry Month. I love April for a variety of reasons: spring in the air, a fresh spring snow storm yesterday of sixteen inches and poetry!
Yes, you all know I write poetry and prose. I love that combination and have used it in many of my books, but as of late, I have focused more on poetry. My favorite poet right now is Mary Oliver, and these words from her poem, Sometimes, have inspired and shocked me:
“Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell About It.”
~Mary Oliver, “Sometimes”
These instructions shock me because I have realized that’s what I do with my poetry and have done it for years. Right now, I’m working on Book #2 of my four-book poetry series that spans my poetry from 1986-2025. Yes, unconsciously I have followed her advice.
Because I’m in the recording mode, I decided to record Oliver’s instructions for living a life.
So I wanted to share some of my poems this week from recent book, Was It a Dream?: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry which is book #1 in my four-book poetry series.
Somehow, I let April 1 and 2 slip, but I recorded poetry the last four days and shared them on various social media sites, but today I’m only sharing two of my poems and recordings.
Two Poems from Was It a Dream?
Playing With Words
December 8, 1995
Catch a word
and drag it by the leg—
hold on tight. Don’t let go!
Hold on!
Don’t let it bite you— you might die from its
poisonous bite or worse—
YOU MIGHT WANT TO WRITE MORE!
The Laundromat
Spokane, Washington
June 18, 1998
Ingenuity of children
Big Brother sees it as a race car.
Mom sees it as a laundry basket on wheels.
Little brother takes advantage of
big brother’s imagination.
Down one aisle Down another
Little brother’s eyes glisten.
Smiles and giggles filled his face.
For a moment, it was a race car— they raced
and won,
but mom interrupted the fun!
“Boys, stop that!”
Finally,
I plan on packing a lot of my poetry in April, so I hope you’re ready for the ride—from my books. See—I have poetry in seven of my nine books, so I have a lot to choose from! Also I will share haiku I haven’t published yet, so April will be full!
If you’d like to sample some of my poetry, click on the link below!
My Newest Books
is my truth universal? e-book – FREE
Was It a Dream?: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry e-book on sale for $.99
Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Christmas Memoir e-book on sale for $1.99
Buy My Audio Books:
This Tumbleweed Landed
Let Me Tell You a Story
Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Memoir Audiobook
