7 Upbeat Poems to Celebrate Poem in Your Pocket Day (with printable PDFs)
Check out these seven upbeat and whimsical poems from ASP authors; print one out for Poem in Your Pocket Day!
What is Poem in Your Pocket Day?
Poem in Your Pocket Day was created by the Office of the Mayor of New York City in 2002 in partnership with the New York Department of Cultural Affairs and Education. Its goal is to reintroduce poetry, a traditionally performative art, into social situations and normal everyday life. As such, PIYPD marks the end of National Poetry Month, bringing the lessons of the month out into the rest of the year.
Poets.org teaches us how to participate (in the age of Covid-19):
"It's easy to participate in Poem in Your Pocket Day from a safe distance. Here are some ideas of how you might get involved:
- Select a poem and share it on social media using the hashtag #PocketPoem.
- Print a poem and draw an image from the poem in the white space, or make an origami swan.
- Record a video of yourself reading a poem, then share it on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, or another social media platform you use.
- Email a poem to your friends, family, neighbors, or local government leaders.
- Schedule a video chat and read a poem to your loved ones.
- Add a poem to your email footer.
- Read a poem out loud from your porch, window, backyard or outdoor space."
Here are SEVEN awesome poems from Alan Squire Publishing poets you can print and share on PIYPD!
Locator by Grace Cavalieri
Love Poem by Elizabeth Hazen
Elegy for the One Step Down by Reuben Jackson
House by Linda Watanabe McFerrin
I'm in Love with the Morton Salt Girl by Richard Peabody
The Last Girl by Rose Solari
A Bar at the Folies-Bergère by Katherine E. Young
Featured Audio: Rose Solari reads “The Beginning, 1939”
In “The Beginning, 1939” Rose Solari’s mastery of recitation is put to the music of her capricious mother and the frantic hopes of her father who wishes to leave “no long, tight pauses for her to fill.” I’ve written before about Rose’s use of swing and rhythmic motifs in her work, elements which are alive in this poem, but what is really mesmerizing to me about “1939” is the musical image toward the end which harbors no pretense of cramming lieder into language, but instead focuses on the very physical act of her mother playing the piano:
Mikaela Lefrak Examines the Life of Maryland Poet Laureate, Grace Cavalieri
The beloved Grace Cavalieri “contains multitudes” according to Mikaela Lefrak in her newest article from WAMU taking a look at the life and career of the 10th Poet Laureate. And Ms. Lefrak treats her subject with the due respect of a life which cannot be covered succinctly in 500 words. She delivers a reverent tourists’ view of Grace Cavalieri’s life, hitting the big things: her poetry and work ethic, the passing of her husband, Kenneth Flynn, her conversion to Buddhism, and finally her new tenure as Poet Laureate.
Listen to Grace Cavalieri on the Kojo Nnamdi Show
Grace Cavalieri’s recent stop at NPR’s The Kojo Nnamdi show is now streamable. Over a substantive 22 minutes, listen to Grace talk about poetry, inspiration, and her plans as the 10th Maryland Poet Laureate.