If you haven’t heard yet, April is National Poetry Month. 
As a writer, I believe it’s important to always stretch and grow in the craft, and that entails writing daily and trying different types of writing.
I don’t consider myself a poet, but I did have a poem published in 2007. Specifically a haiku, using my pseudonym. Here it is:
Loss
by Lisa Haselton
Death knocked on the door
Two brothers separated
Pain too deep for smiles
A traditional haiku follows a 5-7-5 rhythm. I wrote this one after having one of my two cats got ill and I had to let him go. It’s a remembrance to Gizmo, a sweet soul gone too soon.
The Huffington Post is featuring “four great poets” this month at the rate of one poet per week. The first author they talk about is Eileen Myles. Ever heard of her? I hadn’t, until now. Reading her work has entertained my muse and sparked a couple of ideas.
I don’t think I’m alone in saying I find a lot of poetry challenging to read. I think of poems like sampling wines. You can’t rush through them – you need to be ready to take your time and enjoy each part of the experience.
A lot of libraries in my area are promoting poetry month. The one in my town is hosting a contest with a local poet. I’m working on a free verse poem (it doesn’t follow any ‘official’ form at that I’m aware of) to post in the library and then read at an open mic night later on this month. I like the poem, but I can’t quite get the ending to work – yet.
I may just be using my well-honed procrastination skills, at the moment, but deep down, I know it would be a great experience to read my poem in front of an audience. Just something I can add to a list of things I’ve accomplished.
I encourage you to find a poem or a book of poems to look at this month. Take a few minutes and see what comes from dabbling in this type of writing for a little bit.
The Academy of American Poets has 30 ways to celebrate – I bet one might catch your eye, or your muse, if it hasn’t already.
Do you read or write poetry on a consistent basis? If not, will you read a poem or a book of poems this month (other than my haiku above)? How about writing a poem this month?
Nothing to lose, and only experience to gain!
Lisa J. Jackson is an independent editor, writer, New England region journalist, and a year-round chocolate and iced coffee lover. She writes fiction as Lisa Haselton, has an award-winning blog for book reviews and author interviews, and is on the staff of The Writer’s Chatroom.
Numb
I am dead
you are intrigued.
I am naked
you are aroused.
I say I am a butterfly splayed upon your board
you say I am a chrysalis yet to be born.
Sorrows collect in petrified wounds and you want to play with the ruinous crew
gather those ghouls to build your army of regret, I have faced these demons before.
obviously i’m less than a novice, but i give myself points for bravery for posting this publicly!
enjoy! ~kathleen
Thanks for sharing, Kathleen.
That WAS brave!
btw ~ i LOVED your haiku!!!
thank you.
A good poem is like Chanel’s Little Black Dress. Simple, but not easy.
Oooh, nice description, PJ. Thanks for reading!
I can’t say I’m a poet but I do force myself to write one now and again. I seem to be better at nonsensical children’s poetry like Shel Silverstein (but much less adept). Still, no matter how terribly un-poetic I can be, there is a certain amount of satisfaction to be had in making the attempt. It forces the brain to think in another way.
Here is a link to a content I am entering this month called the GEIST ERASURE CONTEST. The rules are simple. You copy a passage, then you erase, using leftover words or phrases to form your poem. You can be as creative as you like. Let me warn you though – it appears to be a lazy way to write a poem, but once you start, it’s harder than you think!
http://www.geist.com/articles/erasure
Hi Laura,
I think any new way of writing is beneficial, so starting with the lazy way to write a poem is at least starting to write a poem! Thanks for sharing the link.
That’s a neat idea! I’ve seen the concept before, only in the art of “altered books”. Have you seen any of those? My favorite ones take a page and paint or cover over the words until what is left is a poem, and then on the other page/pages, they decorate it to compliment. Some cut a hole for a shadow-box of images and such, some just paint or sketch over the words…it’s really nifty.
Hi Lisa, I will certainly read some poetry this month and even try to write some!
I have a daughter who lives in manchester Centre in Vermont so was pleased to see you are from new England. Anywhere near Manchester?
Hi Heaven – great to hear you’re inspired to read some poetry.
And, yes, I’m right next to Manchester. 
Here is my draft for my Geist Erasure Poem:
It is QUality one is after
Illusion
Appear to be dirt, EarTh
look alive
do
not
gag
try
to
breathe
SuCking vomit
Being peRfect
bEing A woMan
mind clear
laugh
study them
peddling phony crap
I can’t bold them, but the capitalized letters that are within the poem spell out
QUIET SCREAM and the words “do not gag try to breathe” form a woman’s breast. It is a commentary on the plight of many women in our society, caught up in the conflicting roles of trying to be everything and still maintain balance, a commentary on what we are supposed to be dictated by media, through advertising, etc. I have not added any punctuation at all, not sure how I will revise, but it’s my first go-round!
Wow. Thanks for sharing.
I hadn’t seen that format before, so thank you for describing it.
Yeah – haha, like I said, a work in progress. I think I was in SLAM POETRY mode or something! LOL!!!!
oops, looks like Word Press put my words to the left margin on the post – oh well!
I think poetry is, whether you’re writing or reading it, something you have to be in a certain mood to do well. I do like the idea of reading poetry being like sampling wine, though… Perhaps I’ll have to apply that myself.
Hi Benjamin – I agree – you can’t rush through a poem like reading a magazine article or a piece of fiction. I believe a poem deserves attention – and in today’s rush-rush world, it’s hard to slow down a bit to enjoy a poem.
Thanks for commenting.
I read this entry earlier and thought nothing more about it. I wrote what I could not say to my cousin today. I’m using the term “bastard” in the traditional sense, not as an offence. He calls himself this.
To one lucky bastard…
As this is not my story to tell,
I’m sending it to you my cousin.
In a crowded room, you’ve always stood tall,
I’ve watched you and wondered?
I’ve seen your mum and dad proudly look on.
And I too have proudly called you my cousin.
And now I see a new family there for you as well.
You’re not a lucky bastard, we are.
Meta
writing a poem is easy. just tear out a piece of soul…a nice big one, about two heart-widths should do…and lay it flat on a hot anvil for about thirty seconds or until it stops screaming. then ready your words…be sure to shake thoroughly, or they’ll run…and take care to choose fresh thoughts, as even a hint of staleness will rip your soul. pour carefully into the needle, letter by letter, watching for excess air bubbles and intruding speech bubbles. take your prepared soul, inject words, throw result against nearest wall until it feels “right”…and there you have it. fresh poetry. (poem should stay fresh until the moment someone reads it…afterward, dispose of carefully in an appropriate facility, as words can be toxic)
KC – just “wow” – I think you describe writing poetry perfectly. That is so amazing. It really is quite a process for a lot of folks. You have a great way with words. Thanks for sharing!
Not a problem! I’m all about the sharings.
Domo for encouraging poetry, btw. *hugs*
KC/Kitsune-na-shiteki (kitsune the poet)
Lisa, I was already writing more than one poem most days; and so now continue with extra inspiration from all my poetry writing blogging friends as we go through National Poetry Writing Month together this April of 2012. I enjoyed your wonderfully loving haiku commemorating your now-passed-over feline family member, Gizmo! Thanks so much for sharing.
Wow – a poem a day, that’s great! Thanks for commenting.
Lately I have been wondering what other people look for in a poem. I have been studying some of my favorite poems to identify why I like them and using that information to develop my own poetry, but I am learning that writing poetry is a process of discovery which will never end as long as I continue to write.Thank you for sharing the haiku; I really like it. It is a great example of how much one can say with only a few words!
You’re right about poetry being a process of discovery. It took me a while to realize that I don’t have to understand or figure out every poem I read and that I just won’t “get” a lot of poems. The haiku actually took a bit of time – trying to find the right words to fit the pattern was a challenge!
Thanks for passing on so much helpful information.
You’re very welcome!
Kids love poetry, and luckily there are some wonderful children’s poets, but also wonderful adult poetry that works for children. Odgen Nash’s Zoo isn’t in print any more, but it was findable at my library and now “Oggie,” as we call him, is one of my son’s favorite poets.
Plus, I’m sneaky. I love Shakespeare, so I use the funny bits to get my 9-year-old interested in him before high school destroys his love of all things classic. (Me, bitter? Noooo….) Beatrice and Benedict – hilarious. Bottom? A favorite. Even part of the opening scene of Romeo and Juliet (“Do you bite your thumb at me, sir?”) is good – you just have to edit out the early innuendos.
So to answer your question, yes, we read a lot of poetry in our house, mostly funny poetry, but also Japanese poetry (Tanka are five lines and AMAZING), nature poems, and anything about cats. But I don’t write much poetry, only the occasional doggerel, just for fun.
thanks for stopping by, Laura. I think it’s great that you have poetry in the house – such a treat for the kids. And fun poetry isn’t a bad thing.
I enjoy a good nature poem, myself. Haven’t looked for cat poems before, but now I think I will!
Heh. I love tanka, and Ogden Nash, “realio, trulio” I do! Anyone who can make the following rhyme I automatically love! “Ink trickled down to the bottom of the household,
And little mouse Blink strategically mouseholed.”
Have y’all read any Shel Silverstein? I love love love his stuff.
“There’s too many kids in this tub.
There’s too many elbows to scrub,
I just washed a behind that I know wasn’t mine!
There’s too many kids in this tub.”
And Shakespeare…yeah, some funny funny stuff there. I love Taming of the Shrew (which read when I was 8-ish, and understood most of, but didn’t see as “dirty” until high school.) and Twelfth Night best, I think. Shrew has some hilarious bits, but most of them are a little…mature.
However, there’s a lot of funny stuff in Twelfth Night that is decent-ish.
“OLIVIA
What’s a drunken man like, fool?
Clown
Like a drowned man, a fool and a mad man: one
draught above heat makes him a fool; the second mads
him; and a third drowns him.
OLIVIA
Go thou and seek the crowner, and let him sit o’ my
coz; for he’s in the third degree of drink, he’s
drowned: go, look after him.
Clown
He is but mad yet, madonna; and the fool shall look
to the madman”
”
Clown
Misprision in the highest degree! Lady, cucullus non
facit monachum; that’s as much to say as I wear not
motley in my brain. Good madonna, give me leave to
prove you a fool.
OLIVIA
Can you do it?
Clown
Dexterously, good madonna.
OLIVIA
Make your proof.
Clown
I must catechise you for it, madonna: good my mouse
of virtue, answer me.
OLIVIA
Well, sir, for want of other idleness, I’ll bide your proof.
Clown
Good madonna, why mournest thou?
OLIVIA
Good fool, for my brother’s death.
Clown
I think his soul is in hell, madonna.
OLIVIA
I know his soul is in heaven, fool.
Clown
The more fool, madonna, to mourn for your brother’s
soul being in heaven. Take away the fool, gentlemen.”
Heh…sorry, I get carried away a little sometimes. Keep reading, and enjoying…and sharing!
KC
The trouble with a kitten is that
eventually it becomes a cat.
That is my favorite Ogden Nash! I have not yet come upon an Ogden Nash poem that I didn’t like though. I wish I had read more Shakespeare when I was younger and had more time.
@KC: My son LOVES that one. Also:
“If called by a panther
Don’t anther.”
Such fun language! e.e. cummings is great too, especially for giving kids permission to make up their own language and throw away punctuation. Defy expectations.
“When faces called flowers float out of the ground…” SUCH A GREAT POEM!
Gosh this is fun. Thanks for the post. I love reading everyone’s poetry and recommendations.
I love your haiku!!!
I enjoyed your blog and I wrote a haiku to celebrate National Poetry Month
Sun sets, fishing stops
Herons hover over lake
Fish glide into reeds
Thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks for writing and sharing, Heaven. It’s very visual.
Wrote another Haiku today as it is my dad’s birthday. Sadly my mum was recently buried too so the grave looks really sad waiting for its new headstone.
http://www.heavenhappens.wordpress.com