I love April. Spring is in bloom (though it is still a bit chilly), the birds are happy, the children are rediscovering their favorite outdoor hiding spots, and people everywhere are writing poetry. Poets have their month in the sun to shine, to reach out and say, "YES POETRY MATTERS!" And it does, and it should be encouraged and cherished every month of the year. Once upon a time, poets were the celebrities of their towns, their countries, enriching the lives of kings and commoners alike, as they nestled in around their hearths at the close of a day. A treat...sweet words in the ear. A mystery...tugging at the heart.
O Captain! My Captain!
~Walt Whitman
"O Captain! My Captain! Our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we
sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting.
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:
But O heart! heart! heart!!
O the bleeding drops of red
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.
O Captain! My Captain! Rise up and hear the
bells;
Rise up-for you the flag is flung-for you the
bugle trills..."
