Is there a poem that fits into your pocket?

Today, the last day of National Poetry Month, is also Poem in Your Pocket Day in Canada and in the US. Other years, there've been celebrations where I've distributed poems -- either folded, origami-style, or rolled into little 'diplomas' -- and shared them.

This year, I'm needing to post a photo of a basket full of poems that was part of a display at my local library a couple of years back. They're always good at celebrating holidays, especially literary ones. It's awkward having them be closed for this long (and longer yet, I am sure it will be).

Still, I'm able to find plenty to read, especially books of poetry. I hope you can find poems to read too.

If you can't, you might want to think about signing up for one of the services that will email you a poem every day. My favourite is the one from the League of Canadian Poets, called Poetry Pause, where there's always something new. If you'd like to subscribe, here's a link that will let you do exactly that.

Happy 50th!

 
What an amazing anniversary! I suspect when Gaylord Nelson 'invented' Earth Day, he had very little notion of just how long the idea would endure.

I'll admit, I didn't do a lot to celebrate today, as Nature looked after watering the garden. And with physical distancing, there wasn't much point in really going anywhere...

One thing I did do was attend a virtual book launch -- for an anthology that, if the poems I heard today were any indication, is bound to be amazing. It's the second in a trilogy of books edited by Yvonne Blomer, past Poet Laureate of Victoria and a fine poet herself.

The first volume, Refugium, put its focus on the Pacific. This one Sweet Water, contains poems for the watersheds. The third will celebrate the Atlantic Ocean.

And of course, while I watched the video presentation, what did I have by my side but my lovely heron-decorated bottle of -- what else -- pure, refreshing water.

Cheers to Earth Day and to poetry!

Re-Eastering

We're having Easter all over again, as today marks the observance of Orthodox Easter. It seems to usually fall one week after the Western Christian celebration, though sometimes the dates can be even farther apart -- and sometimes even on the same date. Complicated. Nonetheless, even the pie crow who lives on the windowsill above the kitchen sink seems to be enjoying himself.

We celebrate both Easters, and do so in pretty much the same way, following a number of traditions. Although the menu mostly contains the same elements, the way they're prepared may vary a bit. Last week the main course of lamb was chops on the barbie. Tonight it will be a pair of slow-roasted lamb shanks. Still, the traditional lamb appears both times and, of course, the beautiful coloured eggs are always part of the celebration -- a fresh batch each time.

Last week, I received quite a few Easter greetings, and one of them contained a phrase that made such good sense to me. It referred to the Easter observance as one marking the 'resurrection of life' -- a perfect description of the many forms of new life that occur in springtime.

Everywhere I look, I see the blossoms on the fruit trees, the bulbs now bearing flowers, the seedlings sprouting in the kitchen garden. After a challenging winter, all these signs of regeneration bring hope and the promise of better days.

Cheery pink blossoms

Today, the halfway mark through National Poetry Month was the day my poetry group had our monthly meeting. Virtual, of course -- necessary not only because we're observing social distancing, but essential as one of our members is currently living in England.

It turned out that all of us have been coming up with new poems, thankfully not all of which focus on the v-word. You know the word I mean, the one we keep hearing what seems like too much about.

Thinking of writing new poems, my thoughts turned to the annual Haiku Invitational, part of Vancouver's annual Cherry Blossom Festival (which I think this year we ought to rename the Cheery Blossom Festival). The competition is on through May and entries are free, so it might be fun to try.

To make it easy for people who may not live in Vancouver, they've given us a choice of several virtual tree walks which may help you come up with a few word images. But even if these don't inspire you to write some haiku, they're sure to give you a nice sense of springtime. Enjoy!

Enjoying the signs

 We've had some beautiful signs popping up in our neighbourhood. Lovely lettering done in colourful chalks, all of them important, positive reminders. As I take my private strolls, I encounter them on the sidewalk, and no matter how many times I see them, they make me smile.

Small actions such as these are one of the reasons I am smiling today.

Of course, there's another sweet circumstance that always comes to mind for me on this particular date, April 10th.

It was another sign, and long ago, that made a child ask her mother, "What's Aprilioth?" The pair had been driving past the community centre, and an ad posted on the outdoor signboard was announcing an event scheduled to take place on April 10th. To the girl, the plain font, all in caps, meant the date looked more like a word than any specific day.

That child was author Eileen Kernaghan's daughter, and the question led to the setting of one of Kernaghan's wonderfully engaging fantasy novels, Journey to Aprilioth.

The signs are everywhere. We just have to be alert to them. Like they used to say at the end of every episode of Dead Dog Cafe: "Stay calm! Be brave! Wait for the signs!"

Getting re-engaged with reading

During these days of isolation and social distancing, one of the ways we can still get into someone else's mind is, of course, through a book.

I have a Kindle, but admit to still preferring the sensory pleasure I get from a book -- even just turning paper pages is preferable to me to clicking thumbs on the e-reader (in fact, I sometimes get sore arms from doing this).

By some stroke of luck, the last time I was at the library, I was inspired to grab more than my usual allotment of books. And I'll admit to having a houseful as well, many of which I've never read. Some of these might have been gifts (Lincoln in the Bardo for one); others just part of some overambitious spree.

Earlier this week, Geist Magazine put out a note encouraging all of us to support our local bookstores. I'm taking this to mean the stalwart independents. I've been compiling a list, and allowing myself a set price which I'm going to try to not exceed.

There were plenty of days in the past when I thought I didn't have time to read (though somehow, I suppose, I always read something -- even if just the back of the cereal box). But these days, that excuse has flown out the window, along with the many engagements that are usually on my calendar.

I'm happy to follow the advice on the cushion one of my talented artist friends made me and yes, read a book, read a book, read a book.