Who would have thought that I could get this far into poetry month without a mention of it? Let’s just say there have been a few things going on here even while poetry month has occupied a space in the corner of my mind. In case I should forget, there is always my poet friend Irene Latham who sends a post card reminder. (If you haven’t read her work, you have missed a big treat.) Now, with her reminder and the careful mark on my calendar for April 27, 2023, I am back on track with Poem in Your Pocket Day.
As has been my habit for these four years that I have lived next door to two grandsons, I have selected a poem for each of them to carry in their pocket for the day. The only real issue that we have with poetry rose a couple of years ago when the youngest grandson Owen was doing his nightly read-aloud with his mom and she said she was going to read some poems. The trouble came because his Southern grandmother pronounced these jewels with two syllables (po-em) – preferably elongated. His New Hampshire mother pronounced them with only one syllable (pom) in a manner I have never been able to duplicate. Owen immediately spoke up and gave her the “correct” Southern pronunciation.
My selection in no way prevents them from selecting another of their own to carry. This year I decided on classic silly story poems for them with “The Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat” for nine-year-old Owen and “The Walrus and the Carpenter” for ten-year-old Benjamin. For myself, I returned to “Maud Muller” which may be just as silly, though that was not its original intent. All of these were introduced to me by a poetry loving mother in my own childhood.
I invite my readers to join me today and find a poem (or pom) that suits your fancy and put it in your pocket, handy for pulling out and reading on this day of celebration.