Runny’s Heading Rabits 

Runny lent to the wibrary 

And there were bundreds of hooks- 

Bistory hooks, beography gooks, 

And lots of bory stooks. 

He looked them over one by one 

And guess which one he took- 

A bience scook? A boetry pook? 

Oh, no-a bomic cook! 

– Shel Silverstein 

April is National Poetry Month celebrating poetry’s significant role in our culture. Salman Akhtar said, “poetry attempts to express emotions that lie too deep for words.” Poetry is an important vehicle for identity and expression, especially during times of crises. In 2020, the National Literacy Trust identified, “66.5% of children and young people agreed that writing poetry made them feel better during lockdown.” 

Reading and writing poetry transforms the individual and lingers throughout their life “opening up the ear to unlikely voices from inside and outside ourselves,” said Kenneth Gross.  

Madison College Librarians recall their experiences with poetry and its impact on them:    

“My favorite poem is ‘A Blessing’ by James Wright. From the first time I found it, it always brings to mind such a specific, peaceful image and how amazing nature is at bringing a calm, centered feeling.” – Autumn Hall-Tun 

“Shakespeare! I loved studying his sonnets in college and learning about all the fun that he and other authors had with words. So much is squeezed into those few lines!” – Dana Ryals 

“Certain poems have resonated with me at different points in my life, and since the pandemic and now the Ukraine situation, my current favorite poem is ‘There Will Come Soft Rains’ by Sara Teasdale. The opening line was also used as the title of one of my favorite short stories written by Ray Bradbury.” – Mark Luetkehoelter 

“I’ve always loved ‘The Road Not Taken’ by Robert Frost since I was a teen.” – Brandon Whisenhunt 

“My favorite poem is ‘The Uses of Sorrow’ by Mary Oliver. It’s a very short poem but has helped me adjust my perspective during times of grief and loss.” – Jennifer Kasch 

You can find these poems and others at poetryfoundation.org and https://nationalpoetryday.co.uk/about-npd/. 

Poetry books like “Complete Poetry and Selected Prose” of John Milton and From both sides now: “The Poetry of the Vietnam War and Its Aftermath” can be found at any of the six Madison College Libraries in the 808 (writing) and 811-821 (reading) sections. Literary Reference Center Plus, one of the libraries’ subscription databases, includes more than 180,000 full-text poems for your reading enjoyment. 

So, during the month of April take a few minutes to read some poetry and, as Kenneth Gross said, “feel the gifts and the wounds of hearing…how poetic words gain an uncanny life of their own.”