Saturday

National Poetry Month

I recently found out that April is National Poetry Month in America. Ok, I know I'm not American, but I love poetry so I'll take any excuse! 

When I was 6 or 7, I wrote an entire poetry book, complete with overly-threatening blurb ("If you don't like this book, the author will find you") and classics such as "Tap your hand, tap your feet, tap the meet, tap run the bath!". Yeah. What can I say? I was a poetic prodigy!

When I got to secondary school, I developed a love of poetry and, in college we studied Philip Larkin, who I mentioned here. These days, teaching poetry is one of my favourite things to do. 

So, in honour of National Poetry Month, here are some of my favourite poems.
This gives me chills every time I watch it. 

What's your favourite poem? 

15 comments :

  1. I love poetry! I don't read it much, but I love it when I do... and that second one you've chosen is just heartbreaking. Some favourites of mine are To His Coy Mistress, by Andrew Marvell, "i love you much (most beautiful darling" by ee cummings, and Love After Love by Derek Walcott :) xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The saddest thing was that when I first read it, my little brother was 4. I cried in the classroom!

      I'll check those poems out.

      Delete
  2. My favourite poem is The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. I spend a lot of time wondering what might have been, so this poem really speaks to me! I also like a lot of ee cummings work, and Aftermath by Siegfried Sasson. I like a lot of war poetry, though it makes me immeasurably sad.

    Janey
    x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I haven't read that but a few people have recommended it. I'll look it up. I like war poetry too. In Flanders Fields is beautifully sad.

      Delete
  3. oooh i love poetry!!! i did a whole module on modern poetry at uni this year and i'm writing an essay on larkin at the moment!

    I think my favourite poem is 'The Road Not Taken' by Robert Frost... it just has really stuck with me since a-levels and I always go back and read it whenever I'm going through a difficult time. Another of my favourites is 'One Art' by Elizabeth Bishop, it's such a moving poem!

    you're very lucky that you get to teach poetry, i bet that's so fun! xxxxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ooh I wish I could go back to writing essays on Larkin! I did one on the loss of innocence in his poems once.

      I love teaching poetry and the kids love it too!

      Delete
  4. Love a good poetry post :) I wrote bucket loads of poetry up until about 5 years ago; then I dried up a bit but if I put my mind to it I'm sure I could get back in to it and would enjoy it. That can go on the to do list. I appreciate the serious cringeworthy cliche but my favourite is The Eve of St Agnes. I do read wider than Keats I promise, it's just a genuine fave :) xx

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love poetry too! When I was 12 I got two poems published in a book for the north east where loads of school kids sent poems off and if you were lucky it was published. I'm still so proud of them although it makes me cringe reading them now! My favourite poem has to be The Emperor Of IceCream by Wallace Stevens.
    Kloe xx
    haveacupofteawithkloe.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  6. I've never come across a poetry blog post before, so nice and refreshing to read something different!
    A lovely read :)
    Nicola xx

    ReplyDelete
  7. wow! that last poem, the video is really speaking to me right now, I'm a teacher who's debating whether to continue being one so it's good to be reminded why I'd want to
    thank you
    http://ahandfulofhope.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
  8. Whoa I still have goosebumps after watching the video...it's jsut great :)
    I love poetry a lot too, especially by ee cummings and Rainer Maria Rilke, I have a little book with all his poems and whenever I feel like it I open it at a random page and start reading...mostly, I read out loud, I love the sounds a spoken poem leaves in the air after it is over. My favorite is called 'Schlussstück' in German, it is written by Rilke. Here is a translation I found:

    Conclusion

    Death is great.
    We belong to her
    with laughing mouths.
    When we believe ourselves to be in the midst of our lives,
    she dares to cry
    inside us.


    I hope you like it :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Love that last poem!! Thanks for bringing national poetry month to my attention... as an eglish lit student think I will have to do a similar post too! xx

    ReplyDelete

I read all comments and appreciate every single one, even if I can't always reply. If you have a question or need a reply, feel free to tweet me @BeckyBedbug- I always reply to tweets!

Blog Design by Get Polished | Copyright Becky Craggs 2017