Poetry Exploration

April is national poetry month, and earlier this month I went to a poetry workshop at the library. I love to see the celebration of poetry, even in small ways like this session where a few people came together to learn about poetry, brainstorm together, and writing our own poems by the end of the session. I also love when poetry is brought out to the world in this visual way. Not everyone has to be a poet, and that's okay, but I think everyone can appreciate poetry, in all the different ways it can be expressed.

I wrote three poems during the session, and I thought it would be fun to share one or two, in the form each was created. I wrote all three in a 30 minute time frame. Here is one, which was supposed to be about something I love.

On Opening A Book

I love books, especially the old ones.
I gently tug one off the packed shelf,
it feels heavy in my hand;
centuries of wisdom cohere inside,
waiting to be read.
Open the cover slowly, it creaks with age
and experience.
The scent of vanilla and coffee rise
as my fingers turn the thick, ruffled pages,
sewn carefully into the agéd spine.
Older books seem to be made with utmost care,
created to last; I wonder how many bibliophiles
held this book years ago.
The wonder rolls down the page as I turn
it past the publication date,
and begin to read in-black words from ancient days.