I’ll be honest. I pick and choose the “days” and “months” to acknowledge, according to my own whim. International Donut Day, I appreciate in spirit, but I’m not going out of my way to buy a donut on that day. When my instagram feed fills up with people acknowledging Siblings Day, I feel a bit sad that my brother and I don’t see more of each other. He isn’t on instagram, so there’s no point in me making a big statement about it. I skip that one.

April, however, is National Poetry Month, and that aligns with my biases, so guess what, you’re hearing about it.

In fact, it’s the 25th celebration of National Poetry Month and the League of Canadian Poets(yes! a superhero collective you can be part of! and not having to wear lycra or a cape, unless you want to!) invites you to celebrate.

What will you read this National Poetry Month? Will you start your own poetry writing project? Will you write your first poem? Will you share your poetry online for the first time?

What if you just wrote out a poem and tucked it in your pocket and carried it around with you for a day, like a love letter, or a secret, or a shield, or a spell?

What if you listened to an episode of Poetry Unbound, in which Padraig O’Tuama reads a poem, and reflects on it.

What if you grabbed a scrap of paper and a pen and wrote down a list of things that bring you joy…

joy is. reading by a window with a soft blanket. an old plant with a new bloom. a completed to-do-list. the first big snowfall. banana bread in the oven. the squeak of sand under bare feet. a cat purring on my lap. finding the perfect GIF to send to the groupchat. a hot cup of coffee. filling the page with unplanned words. freshly painted nails. still and quiet moments of solitude, when all there is to do is rest. cold, crisp mornings. the careful turn of an old book’s pages. a fresh bowl of ramen. feeling blessed and loved. setting a personal best. my favourite pair of sneakers. planting vegetables in the garden. sitting on the couch doing nothing, partner on one side, dog on the other. the crack of a home run. a warm cup of milky Earl Grey. a sunset from a plane window.

Or, you could open your inbox to a daily poem, by subscribing to: https://poets.ca/npm/

Or, what if we had an open mic night and people could come and read some small piece of their heart…? Anyone up for that?

What if you embarked on a daily writing practice? (Call it a snack, to make it more bite-sized.)

NaPoWriMo or National Poetry Writing Month is a popular riff on NaNoWriMo (November’s National Novel Writing Month), that offers an unofficial challenge, to compose a poem a day throughout April.

What if you stayed on the Wellness Almanac and entered “poetry” in the search bar and snacked on one of the poems we’ve shared here over the years, including Lois Fay’s lovely offerings.

Or drop into this lovely moment from Joy Harjo, that reminds us that everything is an alive poem that is already written.

Remember

Joy Harjo – 1951-

Remember the sky that you were born under,
know each of the star’s stories.
Remember the moon, know who she is.
Remember the sun’s birth at dawn, that is the
strongest point of time. Remember sundown
and the giving away to night.
Remember your birth, how your mother struggled
to give you form and breath. You are evidence of
her life, and her mother’s, and hers.
Remember your father. He is your life, also.
Remember the earth whose skin you are:
red earth, black earth, yellow earth, white earth
brown earth, we are earth.
Remember the plants, trees, animal life who all have their
tribes, their families, their histories, too. Talk to them,
listen to them. They are alive poems.
Remember the wind. Remember her voice. She knows the
origin of this universe.
Remember you are all people and all people
are you.
Remember you are this universe and this
universe is you.
Remember all is in motion, is growing, is you.
Remember language comes from this.
Remember the dance language is, that life is.
Remember.