March 21: World Poetry Day

Get out your feathered pens and ink blotters, today we celebrate the arts in a written form with centuries of history. We may not always understand their meanings, but this linguistic expression has the power to move its readers. On this day, March 21, we celebrate World Poetry Day.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) formally recognized this day in 1999 to “give fresh recognition and impetus to national, regional and international poetry movements.”

The first known poem dates back 4,000 years to Babylon. The Epic of Gilgamesh is among the earliest known works of poetry. Poems can rhyme, free verse, their stanzas can follow the strict form of sonnets or haikus… they can really take on any shape and format of the artists choosing. Poetry often has a bad rep for being hard to understand, but it’s not as intimidating has it may seem. Songs can be thought of as poetry — they’re just set to music! You don’t need to be good at writing poetry to enjoy them — there are so many fantastic and moving poems out there — you’ll surely find one that speaks to you.

On this day, break out a book of poems — find the poem that speaks to you. If you don’t know where to start, check out the works of Walt Whitman, Edgar Allen Poe, Emily Dickinson, Maya Angelou and Langston Hughes. You’ll surely find one to strike you. Share your favorite poem with others to honor this art form. You’ll be surprised at how many you might remember from your school learnings — Oh Captain, my Captain!

Happy Holiday everyone, and I’ll see you tomorrow.