It’s Poetry Friday and it’s also April 1, which means it’s the start of National Poetry Month (NPM) in the United States. Here in Australia, our Poetry Month is in August – but I choose to think that EVERY month should be poetry month, so I am going to celebrate in April AND August, as many other months as I can – even Octember!

I thought I might start the month by considering what poetry is. Having completed a Doctorate in children’s poetry, it is probably surprising that I find it hard to give a simple answer tot his question. But, if youlvoe poetry, you’ll understand: poetry is different things to different people.

So, for me, I find it easiest to define by using a poem. I have given this definition in workshops and classrooms for quite some time – and was delighted to then be able to include it in my book Teaching Poetry for Pleasure and Purpose last year. And now, here I am sharing it with you to celebrate  NPM.

 

A Poem

(by Sally Murphy)

A poem

is a whole lot of words

a plethora of words

a smattering, a scattering

a shattering of words

thrown on a page

in carefully created

chaos

to make you wonder.

 

It’s not a definite answer – but the best poems aren’t – they leave you with something to ponder – maybe a depth of feeling, maybe a sense of joy, or maybe even just a giggle.

I’m off to wonder at the other offerings for Poetry Friday. The roundup is being hosted by Heidi at My Juicy Little Universe.