As if it's not enough for daffodils to rise, leggy and proud, and sun to shine, full but coy. Now, April brings two more reasons for glee: National Poetry Month and International Newspaper Blackout Poetry Month.The official Poetry Month poster, at left, lifts a line from T. S. Eliot's The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock:
. . . And indeed there will be time
To wonder, "Do I dare?" and, "Do I dare?"
Time to turn back and descend the stair,
With a bald spot in the middle of my hair—
[They will say: "How his hair is growing thin!"]
My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin,
My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin—
[They will say: "But how his arms and legs are thin!"]
Do I dare
Disturb the universe?
In a minute there is time
For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse . . .
It's an embarrassment of riches, really, to pack International Newspaper Blackout Poetry into this very same, shortish month. But word-artist Austin Kleon perseveres. He's
finding poetry in every column inch, producing a poem each day, and inviting us to join in the fun. His kick-off poem, at right, deftly captures the spirit of the form (for a larger look, click on image).
finding poetry in every column inch, producing a poem each day, and inviting us to join in the fun. His kick-off poem, at right, deftly captures the spirit of the form (for a larger look, click on image).