A Lucky Day and Poetry on a Stick

because today truly was my lucky poetry day. I was a winner of the poetry book give-away from mnprairieroots.com in celebration of April Poetry Month. 
Audrey Kletscher Helbling who writes mnprairieroots. com blog  was giving away an autographed copy of 2015 Poetic Strokes & Word Flow, A Regional Anthology of Poetry from Southeastern Minnesota. This collection includes 55 poems by poets from 10 southeastern Minnesota counties. Two of the poems in the book were Audrey's “Wednesday Night Bingo at the Legion” and “Class Reunion.”Readers were encouraged to send in an entry naming their favorite poet and why this person was chosen. Of course I picked Billy Collins.
Check out Audrey Kletscher Helbling's blog from today announcing the win 
http://mnprairieroots.com/2015/04/21/and-the-winner-is-2/

Audrey

Perhaps you remember two previous blog postings regarding Poetry on A Stick 
http://sockfairies.blogspot.com/search?q=+poetry+on+a+stick 2014
http://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2012/04/poetry-on-stick.html

David Bengtson, a poet from Central Minnesota with his wife Marilyn came up with this creative idea to promote poetry. In fact he has made and given away more than 8,300 Poems-on Sticks. He first got started with his poetry give away at the Minnesota State Fair. 

Today I had an opportunity to pass out over a 100 poems on a stick at a spring luncheon.  It definitely was a day brightener for me having poems shared and talked about at the tables. 

You can get in on poetry fun April 30th by celebrating National Poem in a Pocket Day.   

National Poem In Your Pocket Day is celebrated in 2015 on April 30. This day was created to share the joy that poems bring by carrying some in your pocket and sharing them throughout the day with others. Parks, libraries, schools, workplaces and bookstores will have events celebrating this day. It has been known that librarians have distributed poems to local hospitals, shop owners have handed out books of short poems to shoppers and food vendors have put poems in lunch sacks. (http://www.poets.org/national-poetry-month/poem-your-pocket-day)

It is the perfect day to share your poem on Social Media using #PoemInYouPocketDay.

So to join in the fun all you have to do is find some of your favorite poems, make a few copies and share with friends and family. 

Keep A Poem In Your Pocket 

by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers

Keep a poem in your pocket
and a picture in your head
and you’ll never feel lonely
at night when you’re in bed.

The little poem will sing to you
the little picture bring to you
a dozen dreams to dance to you
at night when you’re in bed.
So-
Keep a picture in your pocket
and a poem in your head
and you’ll never feel lonely
at night when you’re in bed.


The Lesson
by Billy Collins

In the morning when I found History
snoring heavily on the couch,
I took down his overcoat from the rack
and placed its weight over my shoulder blades.

It would protect me on the cold walk
into the village for milk and the paper
and I figured he would not mind,
not after our long conversation the night before.

How unexpected his blustering anger
when I returned covered with icicles,
the way he rummaged through the huge pockets
making sure no major battle or English queen
had fallen out and become lost in the deep snow.