When we meet poems as teachable moments, each line can be a lesson. Each stanza can be a syllabus. Poems can become academies: then our personal poetical interpretations, impressions, inquiries, and intuitions can inspire us to illuminate ourselves. #poetry #poets #education #inspiration #learn

Poetry's many things, including education. Poetry examines, informs, enlightens. Poets are both pupils and educators, learning to express while imparting insights in any given poem. Through poems, readers learn, inquire, and analyze. Poetry is imagination's university! #poetry #poets #education

Poetry Foundation offers a nice variety of poetry learning resources: www.poetryfoundation.org/education There's also a glossary of poetry terms you can browse: www.poetryfoundation.org/education/gl... Whether you write or read poetry, you can learn a lot here! #poetry #education #poets #learn

Want to learn more about poetry or literary theory? Don't have much free time? Oxford University Press has brief, cheap, and easy introductions: Poetry: A Very Short Introduction academic.oup.com/book/28431 Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction academic.oup.com/book/462 #poetry #noexcuses

Personally and professionally, I tried to promote poetry in various ways over the years. Here's a one-page handout I made in 2017 for my library: "Why Like Poetry?" PDF link: thrall.org/docs/WhyLike... It's about why you might like to read or write poetry. #poetry #writing #library #libraries

1/2 My aspirations as a musician and artist quickly paralleled my earlier passion for poetry. Since the 80s, I've had plenty of time to try and fail repeatedly but also to realize how these disciplines connect, if not overlap or reflect each other: rhythms imagery harmony of sounds/shapes #poetry

It seems counter-intuitive to suggest learning prosody and forms to poets who only write free verse, but it's not to "study something you'll never use": it's about growth, discovering (and maybe adapting) structures, rhythms, and techniques which can inform or intensify your poems. #poetry #poets

Back in my university days, I recall someone in a poetry class suggesting (since she wrote free verse) that she didn't need to hear of poetics. Sure, poets can excel without such knowledge. But I believe poets (like artists, musicians) can only prosper from increased understanding. #poetry #poets

Some of my poet friends only read contemporaries. I say past and ancient poets are equally important to know. New translations of Homer, Virgil, Dante are worth reading. Contemporary poets should esteem their predecessors. Ageist thinking will deny you the very progress you seek! #poetry #poets

Poetry readings offer us chances to meet other poets. Shy like me? Attend readings, identify as a reader, and just listen. Also, public libraries often have poetry collections you can explore. Meeting/reading other poets can boost your poetry knowledge and inspiration! #poetry #poets #libraries

Following hashtags/feeds, liking, sharing, re-posting... that fosters connections and helps voices to carry further, especially ones impeded by algorithms. But real "community" needs more: we should welcome others, care about words, discuss, learn, and unite in our love of poetry. #poetry #poets

Awareness of other poets is essential in a poetry community. We have to want to hear, read, acknowledge, and promote voices other than our own. And we must want other poets to be heard, reach potentials, and to succeed. Tolerance, respect, and advocacy also nurture the community. #poetry #poets

Whenever poets seek my advice, I'll ask a few questions and then try to offer specific tips. More generally, I encourage expanded awareness of... + other poets (beyond those you know or prefer to read) + literary terms / movements / theory + poetry forms, prosody, poetics, craft #poetry #poets

The Glass Constellation: New and Collected Poems This superb 2021 Arthur Sze collection taps TEN of his books, including: The Redshifting Web Sight Lines Compass Rose Archipelago I encourage poets and poetry lovers to consider it: www.coppercanyonpress.org/books/the-gl... #poetry #poets #books

1/2 I posted Arthur Sze will be the next U.S. Poet Laureate. Poetry Foundation features a few of his great poems: www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/arthur... I love his 2nd person in these 3: First Snow Forage The Shore of This Day . 2 more I suggest: Before Completion Streamers #poetry #poets

My visual / typographical #poem (vispo) "Bug Zapper Fascinations" submitted for #vssdaily #moth Thanks for reading this. Fully descriptive ALT text is included in the image. #poetry #poems #moths #bugs #vispo #metaphors

1/5 It's a hope of mine that more poets will prefer to write mostly for the joy of crafting poems. Journal acceptance is nice, but I worry a bit when some of my poetry friends fixate exclusively on publishing credits or awards instead of delighting in writing and sharing works. #poetry #poets

My wife Sandra and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary today!❤️❤️❤️ Beyond our combined 60+ years of library careers, she continues to inspire me to keep growing as a poet and a person. Thank you, Sandra, for your daily blessings of love and encouragement! 💞 #poetry #poets #anniversary #couples

My poem "To a Diner Fly" because I think flies are fascinating beings 😎 I hope you enjoy this poem. I entered it in a Ted Kooser ("Spider") poetry challenge. 🥗 💙 🪰 🍨 🍰 ALT text in image + poem text link: allpoetry.com/poem/1865948... #poetry #poems #insects #diners #restaurants #food #utopia

My #poem "To the Ones Yet to Bud" something I submitted to a flower theme poetry contest Hope you enjoy it 🪷 ALT text in image + poem link: allpoetry.com/poem/1865773... #poetry #flowers #lotus #awakening #enlightenment #metaphors

My #haiku for #DailyHaikuPrompt #glow #harvest _ wee hour grape harvests, so ripeness survives sunglow; notes of fruit and age _ #poetry #wine #vineyards #winemaking #poem © me 2025 On picking when it's darker, cooler: heat can trigger premature fermentation, affecting wine quality and taste.

My #vssdaily #street #poem __ RIGHT AS RAIN? How downpours glazing gritty streets can fashion mirrors capturing our concrete stories as they rise beneath our feet to froth with sights of brake-red streaks by scrambled signs and jumbled flights through doubled nights. __ © me 2025 #poetry

My #haiku for #DailyHaikuPrompt 9/18/25 #Morning #Horse #Tail ___________________________________ easy swaying tails: horses grazing leisurely; morning gallops on ___________________________________ #poetry #horses #poem © me 2025

1/3 In painting, dabs and strokes replace empty canvases with additional shapes and hues. When sculpting marble, chiseling and smoothing replace stone with space. In this way, space is a medium for form, meaning... It's also true of pages, air (for sound). #poetry #poets #writing #writers #art

Arthur Sze will be the 25th Poet Laureate of the USA! About the Poet: poets.org/poet/arthur-... www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/arthur... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_... The Library of Congress' official announcement: newsroom.loc.gov/news/library... #poetry #poets #news #literature #writers

This entertaining book offers insights and various views on poetry: Who Reads Poetry: 50 Views from Poetry Magazine ed. by Fred Sasaki, Don Share About the Book www.poetryfoundation.org/articles/144... Publisher link with TOC press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo... #poetry #poets #books #perspectives

My poem "Historian Wind" I hope you enjoy it. #poetry #poem #nature #wind #history Poem text link: allpoetry.com/poem/1797267...

For #VSS365 12/6/24 #Devotion theme In celebration of J. R. R. Tolkien's beloved character, Samwise Gamgee, devoted friend of Frodo. About the Character: lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Samwise... Poem Text: allpoetry.com/poem/1814491... #poetry #poem #friends #friendship #odes #fantasy #characters #LOTR

My poem "Recollective" something I submitted for a memory theme poetry challenge. Hope you enjoy it! ALT Text in image Poem text link: allpoetry.com/poem/1816997... #poetry #poems #homes #houses #memory #memories #history

Social media can convince us we "know" people online based on their posts, but we don't KNOW them. We have no idea what they've seen or suffered, or how they've lived. Still, we can be kind, mature, patient, civil, considerate, compassionate, constructive.... My #poem below is about that. #poetry

My poem "Immensity" ...on nothing being insignificant in a universe teeming with causes and effects of causes and effects of... If you read this, thank you. ALT text + poem link: allpoetry.com/poem/1858653... #poetry #poetrycommunity #poems #inspirational #everythingmatters #nothingisirrelevant

My #poem "Galatean" for the #VssMagicPrompt #still theme ALT text + link: allpoetry.com/poem/1864636... Poem inspired by Ovid's #myth of Pygmalion, who prays to Aphrodite to bring his Galatea sculpture to life: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galatea... #poetry #mythology #love #art @vssmagic.bsky.social

My #poem on history being conscious and tired with us not learning from it... "The Past as Having Had It with Us" ALT text + link: allpoetry.com/poem/1864534... (Tagging this also with #VSS365 #exhaustion since it fits the theme.) #poetry #poetrylovers #history #education @vss365hq.bsky.social

My poem "The Past as Best Friend" part of my "The Past as..." series of poems. ALT text in image + poem text link: allpoetry.com/poem/1818457... #poetry #poems #past #history #friendship #metaphors

My poem "Nonviolent Nature" on challenging any anthropomorphic notions that nature is intentionally violent. Submitted to a poetry contest on that theme. ALT text in image + link: allpoetry.com/poem/1819280... #poetry #poem #nature #violence #natural #peace

Can poetry nurture understanding, healing, growth, community, empathy, and peace? Yes! Poet Jane Hirshfield wrote a superb essay (with examples) on poetry's powers to heal, educate, and unify... "Poetry, Permeability, and Healing" poets.org/text/poetry-... #poetry #poets #healing #peace #words

A new Dream Songs collection arrives in December with previously unpublished poems! About John Berryman & Dream Songs: www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/john-b... poets.org/poet/john-be... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dre... The book (ONLY SING): us.macmillan.com/books/978037... #poetry #poets #books

Canandaiguan Ataraxia My #vss365 #power #poem Inspired by a visit my wife and I made to Canandaigua Lake. We sat at a marina and watched powerboats, kayaks, seagulls, and clouds drift by as we soaked up the serenity. Poem link: allpoetry.com/poem/1863864... #poetry #peace @vss365hq.bsky.social

My poem "Apotheosist" something I submitted to a Sylvia Plath theme poetry challenge. ALT text in image + poem link: allpoetry.com/poem/1863680... #poetry #plath #sylviaplath #poets #poetrylovers #inspiration #inspirational #healing #renaissance #resurrection #apotheosis

For #BlueSkyRelay #collection _ IN THE BARNES COLLECTION ...one ancient face smirks back as if it's grown aware of battles, years, and fears it outlasts easily by living on as art. _ #poetry #poem © me 2025 #sculpture collection.barnesfoundation.org/objects/6655/Head-of-a-Statuette-of-a-Man/

For #vss365 #Doorway _ WAY OF DOORS When openness and freedoms hinge on doorways--where we go from closed, escape the kept-- recall our keys, good light outside [forgetting never risks of rust or deadbolts locked] and exits may be entrances depending on a chance or stance. _ #poetry #poem ©me

My poem "Phoenix: Reawakening" It's one of a number of phoenix-themed poems I've written. I hope you enjoy it. Poem text link: allpoetry.com/poem/1802643... #poems #poetry #phoenix #rebirth #reborn #hope #fire #inspirational #freedom

My poem "Towards a More Natural Poetry" It was inspired by a memory and a daydream from one of my university poetry classes in the 90s. Definitely had some fun with the allusions in this one ☺️ Poem text: allpoetry.com/poem/1805434... #poetry #college #poets #nature #animals #metaphors

VSSDaily 11/26/24: Scripture "The Golden Lotus Testament" © me 2024 #vssdaily #poetry #poems #writingcommunity #poetrycommunity #lotus #flowers #philosophy #buddhism #enligthenment #sacred #metaphors

My poem Our Constant Conference on bookshelf voices & undying dialogues of ideas in #literature ...or something like that 😊 The poem's shown here in two columns. Hope you enjoy it! Alt text + link: allpoetry.com/poem/1826946... #poetry #poems #poets #books #authors #reading #library #libraries

In my third book, Gracious Nature, I include one essay: "On the Vitality of Nature Poems" While it's a brief essay, it invites readers to consider the personal profundities and vaster aspects of "nature poetry." Excerpt + book link: www.amazon.com/Gracious-Nat... #poetry #nature #poets #essays

My #poem for #blueskyrelay #resilience _ HARD LESSON "Resilience?" a student suggests, then Dr. Steel means to scrawl FLEXIBLE IS FOR THE WE[AK] across the wall-wide lecture board --until his chalk snaps and the point gives way to hints of snickering. _ #poetry © me @blueskyrelay.bsky.social

For #vss365 #Chance theme __ ALL WE ARE SAYING Nowhere near the when and where and whys of Vietnam, a halved vinyl 45 rests in the soil of yet another war, one part titled, "Give Peace a Chance," and "Remember Love" on the other side, near a bed frame blown to bits. __ #poetry #poem © me 2025

For #vss365 #conscious _ JUNG'S BLACK BOOKS Shadow not to be ignored, Conscious face Unconsciousness. Imagination, animate! Self of selves, deliberate! It's mad but methodology if symbols whisper maybe-ness. Oh, Soul, be Virgil: guide me past this Limbo of dead intellect! _ #poetry #poem © me

My poem "Acknowledging the Harmonists" ...something I submitted to a 40-word-or-less poetry challenge on the theme of music. I hope it sings to you 🎵 ALT text in image + poem link: allpoetry.com/poem/1861851... #poetry #poems #poetrylovers #writing #music #guitar #songs #noise #harmony #peace