03/31/2023
Poem in Your Pocket Day – April 29th
April is National Poetry Month, as I am sure you all know. With
a whole month to celebrate poetry, do not forget about Poem in Your Pocket Day on
April 29th. Originally the poem, “Poem in Your Pocket”, written by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers, advises you to carry a poem in your pocket and a picture in your
head. That way when you are home in your bed at night you will never be alone.
The little poem will make us sing and the picture in your head will bring sweet
dreams.
On Poem in Your Pocket Day, encourage patrons to share a small
poem that means something to them. It can be a poem by a favorite poet or a
poem they write on their own. Poems come in all shapes and sizes, so it could
be a one-line poem or many lines, Haiku or narrative, or lyrical. All poems are
welcomed.
What a great way to bring a community together by sharing
meaningful poetry. Download the activity page here to get
patrons started, then share them throughout your library.
Now is a good time to start pulling poetry from your shelves
to give patrons a little help if needed. Here are a few poets that you could pull:
- Roald Dahl
- Maya Angelou
- E.E. Cummings
- A.A. Milne
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Amanda Gorman
- Nikki Grimes
- Juan Felipe Herrera
Here is one of my all-time favorite poems to get you
started. The poem is from The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.