Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO
Today, March 21, is World Poetry Day as designated by no less than the United Nations. That got me thinking about poetry in my life. At first I didn't think there was much. I am not a poet (OK, there those sappy love poems when I was teenager). But as I began thinking about my life poetry began popping up all over. As kids, my mom would answer our whiney protests of "Why?" to any chores with a bit of Tennyson's "Charge of the Light Brigade"
Theirs not to make reply,
theirs not to reason why.
Theirs but to do or die.
A habit that I carried to a new generation when I had children. When we were kids, one of the books my little brother (he's 40) wanted people to read over and over and over again was a book of poetry...well, one poem in it especially: "Slithery Dee" by Shel Silverstein. It's the poetry version of a Goosebumps book. My English teacher for my senior year in high school would randomly quote Poe's Annabel Lee in class -- quite random since we were studying science fiction! My husband loves Robert Frost while I (perhaps because I did most of the book reading with our children) lean toward Shel Silverstein.
Why do we non-poets inject bits of poetry into our everyday lives? Perhaps because it gives us a chance to be dramatic, if only for a verse or two.
To commemorate World Poetry Day why not share a favorite poem, poet or poetry story with us? Tell us about your inner poet! Or tweet about it at #WOWpoetry.
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