Warm up those poetry engines

The poet Yacuren and a companion strolling in a grove of yew trees. (detail) Artist: Utagawa Kuniyoshi 1798 – 1861

I know, I know. National Poetry Month isn’t until April. Not to mention that some of us think national-anything month can feel like a silly affectation.

But I had to chuckle at this New York Times item about a pre-National-Poetry-Month Twitter poetry contest. This one comes out of the New York Public Library and is titled “Little Poems, big thoughts“.

Here’s my favorite so far by Meg Hurtado:

He said my heart was a refrigerator: cold, retaining, not easy to clean.

I guess Meg’s on a roll, because she had another “love is hell” entry:

I want to witness the homecoming of jellyfish / who know about love / who wear poison like scarves.

These are tweets, so they have to be short. Some are even about books or libraries, like this from Jody Winer:

THE WATER-STAINED LIBRARY BOOK/ What other woman bathing/ cradled these pages/ her laughter splashing?

Note: I do not condone reading library books near splashing water. But it’s fun imagery.

I’ve mostly skipped social media to date, so I have to ask: have there been a lot of Twitter poetry contests? Is it a useful format for poetry? Meanwhile, I adore libraries so I’m happy to see different efforts at engaging the public with library anything.

Of course there’s a thriving mini-literary scene at right here at NCPR. And it’s about time to turn some thought toward those spring haikus!

You can revisit 2006-2010 gems here.

I can’t wait to read this year’s poems, emerging like spring bulbs from the melting snow.

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3 Comments on “Warm up those poetry engines”

  1. nelson says:

    Boy
    He never knew there was a tree
    He never knew there was a sea
    Then someone came and took his hand
    And let him feel a tree
    He walked along the shore
    And felt the sand beneath his feet
    A drop of rain fell on his hand
    Oh how grand life can be
    Come along with me
    The best is yet to be.

  2. Jon Montan says:

    Spring Poems

    Non-Haiku:

    Dripping sap
    Dripping noses
    Soon we will be
    smelling roses.

    Haiku:

    Cold plays Adagio
    Heat performs Vivace
    Spring has two dance partners

  3. Lucy Martin says:

    Do please re-send into the 2013 Haiku compilation, which is coming very soon.

    (I wouldn’t want “cold plays Adagio” for example, to languish in this side-corner blog post.)

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