We are halfway through National Poetry Month. How is your month going?
I have not been trying to write a poem a day. In ordinary times, I would be happy to write a poem a week; this month, I missed a week, but I have hopes of writing some extra poems this week-end, since we have Friday off.
I did submit my poetry manuscript to Copper Canyon Press. I thought I had submitted before, but I looked through my submission log to discover that I had not. I like that I paid $35 and got not only permission to submit, but 2 books.
I will buy more books of poetry too, before the month is over, but I do that most months. The trick comes in remembering to read poetry, not just support the poetry community by buying books.
In short, my National Poetry Month looks a lot like every other month. In many ways, I think that's a good thing.
Some years, I've ramped up my poetry activity during April. I often end up exhausted by May and not writing anything for a month or more.
And yet, I look back to those years with some wistfulness: all the poems I wrote! all the ways I felt fully engaged and alive! the fact that I felt like I was doing what I was put on earth to do!
Could I capture that feeling without the full-tilt pace? What are the ways to cultivate those highs in my daily poetry life?
Or are those years of full participation in National Poetry Month more like going on a retreat or pilgrimage? The mountain-top-experience is great, but one must return from the mountain.
But must we return? Can we not infuse the mountain top into our daily lives?
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