listen - day 26

   

As I strive to become a better listener and to connect more with my sense of hearing, National Poetry Month 2026 finds me writing daily, handwritten, index card poems inspired by sounds and listening.. I have begun a new notebook to collect the sounds I notice throughout the month, and I will reflect on them in short poems. My ears - and my heart - are open wide. 

 

I invite you to join me in this project, on any of my projects from the past 16 years, or on a project of your very own. To do so, simply write a poem each day of April in any way you wish. Share or don't share, as you wish. Your poems are your poems. Your projects are your projects. And if you wish learn a bit more about writing poetry, I welcome you to the short lessons in the tab above: COAXING POEMS VIDEOS - 2024.

 

National Poetry Month 2026 Poems

April 1 - listening, listening

April 2 - clicking kitty

April 3 - spring morning 

April 4 - tea

April 5 - team

April 6 - from far away 

April 7 - on a day of April snows 

April 8 - breakfast

April 9 - beep beep beep 

April 10 - now

April 11 - but why?

April 12 - winter warmies

April 13 - better than a touch screen  

April 14 - swish of the brush 

April 15 - heartbeat 

April 16 - robin? sparrow? 

April 17 - a good meal 

April 18 - their notes 

April 19 - the show 

April 20 - performance

April 21 - grandfather clock 

April 22 - our maillady zooms 

April 23 - potato chips

April 24 - this fire

April 25 - sneeze music 

Here is poem 26 - 

 

 

 

Students - Something I have noticed this month is that our home is a pretty quiet home. We live on a country road with almost no traffic, our children are grown, we do not keep TV or radio on in the background, we do not play video games, and our cats, while not totally quiet, are not boisterous. So as the month has gone on, I have needed to push myself to think of sounds. This one is a seasonal sound, one we only hear during certain (though many) months of the year. Plows are loud, and I loved that lie-a-bed time of wondering if snowy days would become official snow days, for me, for Mark, for our children. For folks who live in cold climates, snow days are sweet surprises!

 

One way to gather ideas for writing (sound ideas or other ideas) is to fold a piece of paper into four quadrants, or take four separate sheets of paper, and label each with one of the seasons: spring, summer, winter, fall. Then, under each heading, list some sounds or memories or images that come to you related to that season. Our lists will all be different, depending on the weather where each of us lives.

 

To learn about many of the wonderful National Poetry Month projects happening online this April, visit the generous Jama Rattigan at Jama's Alphabet Soup. 

 

I wish you a fun-to-think-about question today!

 

xo,

a. 

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listen - day 25

   

As I strive to become a better listener and to connect more with my sense of hearing, National Poetry Month 2026 finds me writing daily, handwritten, index card poems inspired by sounds and listening.. I have begun a new notebook to collect the sounds I notice throughout the month, and I will reflect on them in short poems. My ears - and my heart - are open wide. 

 

I invite you to join me in this project, on any of my projects from the past 16 years, or on a project of your very own. To do so, simply write a poem each day of April in any way you wish. Share or don't share, as you wish. Your poems are your poems. Your projects are your projects. And if you wish learn a bit more about writing poetry, I welcome you to the short lessons in the tab above: COAXING POEMS VIDEOS - 2024.

 

National Poetry Month 2026 Poems

April 1 - listening, listening

April 2 - clicking kitty

April 3 - spring morning 

April 4 - tea

April 5 - team

April 6 - from far away 

April 7 - on a day of April snows 

April 8 - breakfast

April 9 - beep beep beep 

April 10 - now

April 11 - but why?

April 12 - winter warmies

April 13 - better than a touch screen  

April 14 - swish of the brush 

April 15 - heartbeat 

April 16 - robin? sparrow? 

April 17 - a good meal 

April 18 - their notes 

April 19 - the show 

April 20 - performance

April 21 - grandfather clock 

April 22 - our maillady zooms 

April 23 - potato chips

April 24 - this fire 

 

Here is poem 25 - 

 

Students - This little poem goes back and forth between the voice of the sneezer and the voice of the blesser. The sneezer's sneezes are on the left, the blessers blessings are on the right, and the two voices come together at the end with a relieved phew!

 

I have often been the blesser in this sneezy situation, and when I wrote today's poem, I found myself thinking about the different ways that people sneeze. Sometimes there's an accent on the first syllable - AH-choo! Sometimes there's an accent on the second syllable - ah-CHOO! Sometimes both syllables are equally accented, sometimes soft and sometimes loud. I chose to use capital letters to indicate the accented syllables today so that readers know which syllables to stress when reading. Each sneeze sounds different! You probably noticed that I matched the capital letters to each sneeze and blessing.

 

If you pay attention to the conversations in your day, you might discover a poem - silly or serious - that is hiding in a conversation.

 

To learn about many of the wonderful National Poetry Month projects happening online this April, visit the generous Jama Rattigan at Jama's Alphabet Soup. 

 

Stay healthy, my dear friends! 

 

xo,

a. 

Please share a comment below if you wish.

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listen - day 24

    

As I strive to become a better listener and to connect more with my sense of hearing, National Poetry Month 2026 finds me writing daily, handwritten, index card poems inspired by sounds and listening.. I have begun a new notebook to collect the sounds I notice throughout the month, and I will reflect on them in short poems. My ears - and my heart - are open wide. 

 

I invite you to join me in this project, on any of my projects from the past 16 years, or on a project of your very own. To do so, simply write a poem each day of April in any way you wish. Share or don't share, as you wish. Your poems are your poems. Your projects are your projects. And if you wish learn a bit more about writing poetry, I welcome you to the short lessons in the tab above: COAXING POEMS VIDEOS - 2024.

 

National Poetry Month 2026 Poems

April 1 - listening, listening

April 2 - clicking kitty

April 3 - spring morning 

April 4 - tea

April 5 - team

April 6 - from far away 

April 7 - on a day of April snows 

April 8 - breakfast

April 9 - beep beep beep 

April 10 - now

April 11 - but why?

April 12 - winter warmies

April 13 - better than a touch screen  

April 14 - swish of the brush 

April 15 - heartbeat 

April 16 - robin? sparrow? 

April 17 - a good meal 

April 18 - their notes 

April 19 - the show 

April 20 - performance

April 21 - grandfather clock 

April 22 - our maillady zooms 

April 23 - potato chips

 

Here is poem 24 - 

Students - In truth, a fire in the fireplace may not rustle the last words of trees for those trees become ash which returns to the soil which becomes plants which feed animals which make new noises. But. For this poem, the actual tree-wood is sharing its last words as a fire in our home.

 

I adore a good wood fire, and thank goodness for that as we heat much of our home with wood, and so this means stacking wood, carrying wood, and loading wood into the wood stove. Fortunately, we do not need to cut the trees down and up, as we barter firewood for use of tapping some of our maples for syrup.

 

Today's poem feels a little bit sad and a little bit grateful to me. Are there any sounds in your life that have a feeling attached to them? Our kitties' purrs make me feel loved, and a loved one's sniffle makes me feel a bit worried. 

 

Irene is hosting today's Poetry Friday roundup over at Live Your Poem with so much goodness, from new book joy (welcome, Some Starry Night!) to a new ArtSpeak: WOMEN poem. Each Poetry Friday, all are invited to share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship in this open and welcoming poetry community.  

 

To learn about many of the wonderful National Poetry Month projects happening online this April, visit the generous Jama Rattigan at Jama's Alphabet Soup. 

 

Now I am thinking about what the last words of trees might be. What are you thinking about? 

 

xo,

a. 

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listen - day 23

    

As I strive to become a better listener and to connect more with my sense of hearing, National Poetry Month 2026 finds me writing daily, handwritten, index card poems inspired by sounds and listening.. I have begun a new notebook to collect the sounds I notice throughout the month, and I will reflect on them in short poems. My ears - and my heart - are open wide. 

 

I invite you to join me in this project, on any of my projects from the past 16 years, or on a project of your very own. To do so, simply write a poem each day of April in any way you wish. Share or don't share, as you wish. Your poems are your poems. Your projects are your projects. And if you wish learn a bit more about writing poetry, I welcome you to the short lessons in the tab above: COAXING POEMS VIDEOS - 2024.

 

National Poetry Month 2026 Poems

April 1 - listening, listening

April 2 - clicking kitty

April 3 - spring morning 

April 4 - tea

April 5 - team

April 6 - from far away 

April 7 - on a day of April snows 

April 8 - breakfast

April 9 - beep beep beep 

April 10 - now

April 11 - but why?

April 12 - winter warmies

April 13 - better than a touch screen  

April 14 - swish of the brush 

April 15 - heartbeat 

April 16 - robin? sparrow? 

April 17 - a good meal 

April 18 - their notes 

April 19 - the show 

April 20 - performance

April 21 - grandfather clock 

April 22 - our maillady zooms 

 

Here is poem 23 - 

 

Students - It is funny to think about how different foods make different sounds. Milkshakes and soup and spaghetti are slurpy, potato chips and pretzels and certain cookies are crunchy. This poem celebrates the crunchiness of potato chips and also how LOUD potato chips are in my head. I thought of four different words to describe the sound of the chips (onomatopoeia), and I took the photograph with a pile of veggie chips as this is all we have in the house right now.

 

Today's poem ends with a question. Have you ever ended a piece of writing with a question? It can be an interesting way to leave a wonder hanging in the air. The wonder might be a serious wonder, or the wonder might be a bit of a silly wonder as mine is here.

To learn about many of the wonderful National Poetry Month projects happening online this April, visit the generous Jama Rattigan at Jama's Alphabet Soup. 

 

Listen to your food. What is your food telling you?

 

xo,

a. 

Please share a comment below if you wish.

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If you are under 13 years old, please only comment 

with a parent or as part of a group with your teacher.

listen - day 22

   

As I strive to become a better listener and to connect more with my sense of hearing, National Poetry Month 2026 finds me writing daily, handwritten, index card poems inspired by sounds and listening.. I have begun a new notebook to collect the sounds I notice throughout the month, and I will reflect on them in short poems. My ears - and my heart - are open wide. 

 

I invite you to join me in this project, on any of my projects from the past 16 years, or on a project of your very own. To do so, simply write a poem each day of April in any way you wish. Share or don't share, as you wish. Your poems are your poems. Your projects are your projects. And if you wish learn a bit more about writing poetry, I welcome you to the short lessons in the tab above: COAXING POEMS VIDEOS - 2024.

 

National Poetry Month 2026 Poems 

April 1 - listening, listening

April 2 - clicking kitty

April 3 - spring morning 

April 4 - tea

April 5 - team

April 6 - from far away 

April 7 - on a day of April snows 

April 8 - breakfast

April 9 - beep beep beep 

April 10 - now

April 11 - but why?

April 12 - winter warmies

April 13 - better than a touch screen  

April 14 - swish of the brush 

April 15 - heartbeat 

April 16 - robin? sparrow? 

April 17 - a good meal 

April 18 - their notes 

April 19 - the show 

April 20 - performance

April 21 - grandfather clock 

 

Here is poem 22 - 

Students - Today's little sound poem reads like a story. It tells exactly, moment by moment, about something that happened today as I was weeding the garden. I did change the actual mail (to my favorite mail of flower catalogs and letters) in today's poem, but I did indeed hear the truck, the stop, our maillady's greeting, my greeting, the close of the metal mouth. 

 

I once listened to a Hidden Brain podcast titled "The Power of Tiny Interactions" about how important these kinds of small conversations are for our well-being. Little conversations with people we see out and about  are important, just as big conversations with loved ones are important.

Is there a person in your life who is not a family member or good friend but with whom you exchange a few words almost every day? This person, and your ongoing interaction with this person could make for an interesting poem or even the beginning to a story. 

And yes, yes. This poem DOES feature a bit of personification. Mailboxes do NOT have mouths. But it sure seems that way, doesn't it?

When I took the photograph for today's post yesterday, Winnie (left) and Fiona (right) followed me out to the mailbox. You can see how very-not-busy our country road is.

 

Winnie and Fiona Enjoy the Quiet Road

Photo by Amy LV

 

To learn about many of the wonderful National Poetry Month projects happening online this April, visit the generous Jama Rattigan at Jama's Alphabet Soup. 

 

Remember, the small conversations you have with people today - and every day - have the power to make those people's days more meaningful. Our words matter.

 

xo,

a. 

Please share a comment below if you wish.

Know that your comment will only appear after I approve it.

If you are under 13 years old, please only comment 

with a parent or as part of a group with your teacher.

listen - day 21

    

As I strive to become a better listener and to connect more with my sense of hearing, National Poetry Month 2026 finds me writing daily, handwritten, index card poems inspired by sounds and listening.. I have begun a new notebook to collect the sounds I notice throughout the month, and I will reflect on them in short poems. My ears - and my heart - are open wide. 

 

I invite you to join me in this project, on any of my projects from the past 16 years, or on a project of your very own. To do so, simply write a poem each day of April in any way you wish. Share or don't share, as you wish. Your poems are your poems. Your projects are your projects. And if you wish learn a bit more about writing poetry, I welcome you to the short lessons in the tab above: COAXING POEMS VIDEOS - 2024.

 

National Poetry Month 2026 Poems 

April 1 - listening, listening

April 2 - clicking kitty

April 3 - spring morning 

April 4 - tea

April 5 - team

April 6 - from far away 

April 7 - on a day of April snows 

April 8 - breakfast

April 9 - beep beep beep 

April 10 - now

April 11 - but why?

April 12 - winter warmies

April 13 - better than a touch screen  

April 14 - swish of the brush 

April 15 - heartbeat 

April 16 - robin? sparrow? 

April 17 - a good meal 

April 18 - their notes 

April 19 - the show 

April 20 - performance 

 

Here is poem 21 - 

 

  

Students - I do not have a grandfather clock where I live now, but in my childhood home, we had a grandfather clock that ticked and chimed every quarter hour. I found those chimes comforting, and so even though I did not plan to write about a grandfather clock but just a clock today, that old friend from my past returned to bring a bit of personification to my poem. For, you see, grandfather clocks do not really counsel humans. But writers can make them do so!

 

It seems that here in the middle of the month, I continue to happily slide into rhyme. I am not doing this on purpose, but the rhymes are, indeed, finding their way into the lines. We'll see if this happens tomorrow.

 

I do like the idea of today's sound teaching me a life tip, helping me live differently because I am listening carefully. Perhaps there is a sound in your life that counsels or teaches you in some way. What might it be? What can you learn from a sound in your life?

 

To learn about many of the wonderful National Poetry Month projects happening online this April, visit the generous Jama Rattigan at Jama's Alphabet Soup. 

 

Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock. 

 

xo,

a. 

Please share a comment below if you wish.

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If you are under 13 years old, please only comment 

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listen - day 20

    

As I strive to become a better listener and to connect more with my sense of hearing, National Poetry Month 2026 finds me writing daily, handwritten, index card poems inspired by sounds and listening.. I have begun a new notebook to collect the sounds I notice throughout the month, and I will reflect on them in short poems. My ears - and my heart - are open wide. 

 

I invite you to join me in this project, on any of my projects from the past 16 years, or on a project of your very own. To do so, simply write a poem each day of April in any way you wish. Share or don't share, as you wish. Your poems are your poems. Your projects are your projects. And if you wish learn a bit more about writing poetry, I welcome you to the short lessons in the tab above: COAXING POEMS VIDEOS - 2024.

 

National Poetry Month 2026 Poems 

April 1 - listening, listening

April 2 - clicking kitty

April 3 - spring morning 

April 4 - tea

April 5 - team

April 6 - from far away 

April 7 - on a day of April snows 

April 8 - breakfast

April 9 - beep beep beep 

April 10 - now

April 11 - but why?

April 12 - winter warmies

April 13 - better than a touch screen  

April 14 - swish of the brush 

April 15 - heartbeat 

April 16 - robin? sparrow? 

April 17 - a good meal 

April 18 - their notes 

April 19 - the show 

 

Here is poem 20 - 

Students - One thing I always find interesting during a National Poetry Month project is that as the month goes on, I find myself wanting to use words that I know have appeared in other poems, words that I do not wish to repeat. This month, when this has happened, I flip through my deck of listen poem cards and check, "Did I already use this word?" If so, I find a new one. Today I considered and rejected these: secret, whisper, soft, sing. You can see lots of scribbling out in the draft above!

 

I have mentioned many different things to notice about poems this month and am wondering what you notice I tried as a writer in today's short verse. What do you notice about the sounds? The way the words lay on the page? The title? Thinking about another's poem, whether you like the poem or not, can give a person ideas for their own writing.

 

Hmm. I am realizing that both yesterday's poem and today's poem are about performances...the brain is, indeed, a curious place! 

 

To learn about many of the wonderful National Poetry Month projects happening online this April, visit the generous Jama Rattigan at Jama's Alphabet Soup. 

May you find the secrets that live inside of you!

xo,

a. 

Please share a comment below if you wish.

Know that your comment will only appear after I approve it.

If you are under 13 years old, please only comment 

with a parent or as part of a group with your teacher.