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
Here is poem 26 -
Students - One thing 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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