Last Day of National Poetry Month

For some of us, every month is a poetry month, but April does give us permission to focus on the art form in a larger way.  We could use this last day of National Poetry Month to ask what we'd like to carry with us through the other 11 months.  And of course, it's never too late to plan for next year.

I'm pleased with planning a poetry event at my school.  Some people might think of a bucolic campus full of liberal arts students when I say I work at a college, but that's not my school.  We only offer the Associates degree on my campus for students who are, for the most part, preparing for careers where they will be working in medical fields.  Our most popular major is Vet Tech, followed by Allied Health, which on our campus means Medical Assisting or Medical Office Administration.

Still, our students do have creative sides, and I've noticed that some of them are happy to have the opportunity to play with creatively.  So, I'll keep looking for ways to bring a variety of art forms to them.

On a personal note, April wasn't a different month for me in terms of poetry than any other month.  I wrote a few poems and sent a few packets out.  I got some new ideas for poems, which always makes me happy.  I took a purple legal pad to school--right about the time that my administrator schedule heated up, and I didn't have pockets of time during my work day to write.  But I've set a foundation for later.

While getting  a Fitbit may not be one of the goals we see in anyone's writing goals, I do think it's important to remember that our ability to create poems may rely on keeping healthy as best we can.  I've spent the last year gaining 15 pounds, and I'm happy to be taking steps to reverse that.  More important, I'm glad to have a gadget that will remind me to move away from the desk periodically.

What I'd like to carry with me:  I'd like to write poems more regularly.  I do admire the poets like Luisa Igloria who write a poem a day, year in, year out.  I'd be happy if I wrote poetry 3 days a week.  I know there are trackers for that--you don't wear them on your wrist, but a tracker is available.  Maybe I should try that . . .