In 1996 the Academy of American Poets established April as National Poetry Month.  For a month we give our attention to poetry, living poets, poetic history among all other things poetic!  There are events city wide celebrating the Poem, and poets inspiring or being inspired.  Check out the poetry links in our side bar under blogroll.  To celebrate April’s gift of poetry, the writers at TLS are dedicating our blog  to poetry.  In a challenge even to ourselves, our goal is to put up a new poem each day of the month, if not more!

Poem for April, 2011

written by Laura L Mays Hoopes

Words slip onto the page quietly

A little unwilling to be pushy when

So many around the world wonder

How long they will live?

How high the radiation?

How long until the government helps?

What is coming tomorrow?

Might it be water? Food?

But they often give thanks

That humans reach out to

Each other in spite of all the

Negative news and complaints.

That there is a tomorrow.

That we can survive.

That we love each other.

That families help.

That strangers, even strangers

come through.

The Keyboard Clatter

written by Erica Jamieson

I wonder if the keyboard feels to me the way the

quill felt to the writer of centuries ago.  My fingers

find peace in the constant dance, t to h to e – the

rhythm drum of the space bar . The pointed

quill would have dipped and then brushed

against the parchment in similar song

but perhaps without so much clattering.