First, if you are not familiar with Poem in My Pocket Day, here are the rules:
1. Find a copy of your favorite poem...or at least one that you like...or has touched you recently...or whatever. Digital is fine, but it's more human if you print a copy or transcribe it by hand.
2. Carry it around in your pocket (at the ready) all day. You shouldn't have to search for it on your phone every time you pull it out.
3. Share your chosen poem with people throughout the day.
4. Relish the poetry of this world!
Now because I probably won't see all of you today, here is my poem for today. This year I chose to honor the late Mary Oliver, a poet I have read more extensively of late. I planned a longer blog post around this poem, and I may yet do it, but for now, here it is:
“What We Want”
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| (Taken from https://www.facebook.com/PoetMaryOliver/photos/) |
In a poem
people want
something fancy,
but even more
they want something
inexplicable
made plain,
easy to swallow—
not unlike a suddenly
harmonic passage
in an otherwise
difficult and sometimes dissonant
symphony—
even if it is only
for the moment
of hearing it.
Now do me a favor: take time for poetry today and share with me as well. Post your poem in the comments here or via social media somewhere (#pocketpoem), or send me a message if I won't see you face to face. Happy Poem in Your Pocket day!
