National Poetry Month (NaPoMo 1/30)

This poster, designed by Chip Kidd, is available HERE

It's National Poetry Month, and here at PhilosFX, we'll feature some favorite poems every day for the next 30 days. OK, let me rephrase that. We'll feature 30 poetry-themed posts in April, aiming to post them at the rate of one per day. But, you know, life happens... That is not an excuse. That is a promise. If I have to choose between riding my motorcycle or sharing a post, the post will have to wait!

I am not trying to be a poet, but I may even contribute a few lines of my own verse as a way to show support and appreciation. Mimicry is the sincerest form of flattery. I do love poets and the power of poetry. I love how words spoken by a skillful wordsmith can unlock ancient mysteries. Words can open us to realities seemingly beyond our comprehension.

• Some of my favorite wordsmiths are humorous or even whimsical. Steve Martin, Mark Twain, and Garrison Keillor spring to mind. I don't know if you would think of George Carlin as a poet, but I certainly do. The wry rhythm of his delivery always added another dimension to his profound insights. 
• Some are angry or impassioned. Oppressed people can lash back at the Universe with words as sharp as sabers. Some of my friends at the Busboys and Poets Open Mic nights have shredded me with words. Was Dr Martin Luther King, Jr., a poet? Of course. His speeches were intoned with poetic passion and fire.
• Some are spiritual and profound. My favorite of many in this category is Mark Nepo. I have found such comfort in his embrace, both physically when I met him for the first time, and metaphysically as I read through The Book of Awakening (2000), Seven Thousand Ways to Listen (2012), and Reduced to Joy (2013). 
• And quite a few of my favorite poets earned the honor merely by being especially concise, pithy, observant, witty, or adept at expressing what it means to be a spirit in a body in time on earth. Jhymn Loisel, Angelique Palmer, Rob Krupika and many, many more.

Why do we celebrate poets and their poetic poems? I offer this reply--not in my words, these are the words of Tom Robbins--but in my handwriting.

Celebrate poetry month!