April is National Poetry Month—a good time to become immersed in the world of poetry, whether in reading, writing, or both, or even being intentional in seeing the poetry in everyday life. This does not mean that life (or poetry) is always beautiful, kind, or inspiring. Poetry is also in the ugly, the cruel, and the devastating. We use words to express ourselves, and we read and listen to the words of others to hear our own voices and what we have not been able to say for ourselves. Poetry is a way of translating and understanding the world, and it goes a step further when it can be heard and/or read by others who can interpret it for themselves.

Poetry is often seen as an indulgence and/or as something reserved for certain kinds of intellectuals and artists. It can be considered inaccessible for various reasons, not the least of which being the limited way we are taught to read and analyse poetry when it is first introduced to us. It is as though there are mathematical formulae that must be followed to produce a poem the “right” way and there is a particular part of the brain we have to tap into and train to be “poetic.” We are taught that it requires genius and, even further, that is a luxury and an exclusive practice and experience. This does not have to be true.

Poetry can help us to see ourselves, to understand ourselves, and to become better oriented to and aware of the world around us and the way it shapes us. In recent years, “Instagram poetry” has become particularly popular. These poems are short, easily fitting into a one-square post on a beautiful background, often taking the form of one sentences broken into separate lines. While this kind of poetry has been criticised, the writers accused of oversimplifying poetry (and even copying one or two poet who helped to popularise it), it has given many people access to poetry. It has made the writing more accessible, easier to read and understand, and generative as it helps people to believe that they are able to write too.

As this part of the world shifts from winter to spring and we settle into the time change, it feels like a new beginning. April is a great time to explore the art form, the writing form, that is poetry. Poinciana Paper Press is coordinating events and activities for National Poetry Writing Month, including daily prompts for people to use to jumpstart their writing each day. They can be contacted by direct message on Instagram and Sonia Farmer, the founder, is happy to add people to the WhatsApp group to receive prompts and encouragement.

Excerpt from “A Litany for Survival” by Audre Lorde

Audre Lorde ends “A Litany for Survival” with two stanzas about the fear we feel in the ordinary and its inverse as well as the importance of rising above that fear, knowing that life will not last forever. It is a call to recognise fear, to accept the interminability of them, and to resist being restricted by them.

And when the sun rises we are afraid

it might not remain

when the sun sets we are afraid

it might not rise in the morning

when our stomachs are full we are afraid

of indigestion

when our stomachs are empty we are afraid

we may never eat again

when we are loved we are afraid

love will vanish

when we are alone we are afraid

love will never return

and when we speak we are afraid

our words will not be heard

nor welcomed

but when we are silent

we are still afraid

So it is better to speak

remembering

we were never meant to survive.

“won’t you celebrate with me” by Lucille Clifton

Lucille Clifton celebrates herself and her becoming in “won’t you celebrate with me,” and invites her reader to see the magic of having no example, yet moving forward to do what one is called to do and be who one is meant to be. She recognised that there are many factors, people, places, things, and ideas included, that could keep us from ourselves. Despite what happens around us and comes at us, we have the ability to stay on our own paths. The challenges we face may change us, but they need not succeed in shutting us down.

won’t you celebrate with me

what i have shaped into

a kind of life? i had no model.

born in babylon

both nonwhite and woman

what did i see to be except myself?

i made it up

here on this bridge between

starshine and clay,

my one hand holding tight

my other hand; come celebrate

with me that everyday

something has tried to kill me

and has failed.

“If I Must Die” by Refaat Alareer

Refaat Alareer was a Palestinian writer, university professor, and translator from Gaza. Five weeks before he was killed, he shared his poem, “If I Must Die.” It is a personal reckoning with impending death, by murder, and how to make meaning of not only a life, but death and the way it comes. It is a desire not only to be remembered, but to be a symbol of hope that the atrocities faced today will end and the future so often dreamed of and spoke aloud will come to be.

If I must die,

you must live

to tell my story

to sell my things

to buy a piece of cloth

and some strings,

(make it white with a long tail)

so that a child, somewhere in Gaza

while looking heaven in the eye

awaiting his dad who left in a blaze—

and bid no one farewell

not even to his flesh

not even to himself—

sees the kite, my kite you made, flying up above

and thinks for a moment an angel is there

bringing back love

If I must die

let it bring hope

let it be a tale

RECCOMENDATIONS

1. Participate in National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo). Poinciana Paper Press—a centre for writing, book arts, and publishing in The Bahamas—is coordinating events throughout April to encourage participation in National Poetry Month, a time to write one poem each day for 30 days. Participants can join a WhatsApp group to receive daily prompts that can be used to generate a new poem every day. The group is well-managed and only used for delivery of the prompts, responses to the prompts, and information related to poetry and writing events in The Bahamas. On April 1, Poinciana Paper Press offered “twist” as the prompt. What would you write in response to the prompt? Whether about a dance, a yoga pose, a sweet treat, a pain, or surprise turn of events, all interpretations were welcome. Send a message to Poinciana Paper Press to join the group, and look out for the events over the coming weeks.

2. Join Feminist Book Club. The book selection for April is Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan. A reviewer said, “This novel is a damning indictment of the morally bankrupt Catholic Church’s cruel judgementalism of girls and women who got pregnant outside wedlock, their babies taken, their enslavement, and exploitation in the laundries[…] A hard hitting, poignant, and beautifully written book on the darkness in Ireland’s history.” The book is short, so there is still time to order or download it and read it before the meeting at Poinciana Paper Press, 12 Parkgate Road, on Wednesday, April 16, at 6pm to discuss Small Things Like These. To get ahead for May, purchase or borrow How To Fall in Love in a Time of Unnameable Disaster by Muriel Long. To join Feminist Book Club, fill out the form at tiny.cc/fbc2025