April is the National Poetry Month in the US.

I've always enjoyed poetry from afar, and am hoping to cherish & understand it closely over the month!

In this , I will be sharing (*at least*) #APoemADay for the next few weeks.

As always, recs are very welcome!

Day- #APoemADay
Introduction to Poetry - Billy Collins

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BRB, I'm waterskiing across the surface of today's poem.

I plan to not repeat poets (other than Billy Collins and @kaysarahsera) and to have a mix of English & non-English poems.

Thanks to this 2020 thread by @amitvarma for the inspiration! I do plan to steal a few poems from this lovely curation. https://twitter.com/amitvarma/status/1245715596144037893

Now, without further ado, let's continue with #APoemADay!

Day - #APoemADay
Meri Ma Meri Kavita by Surjit Patar

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Starting the ritual with one in my own mother tongue, it is impossible to read today's poem with dry eyes.

Day - *BONUS* #APoemADay
My Faithful Mother Tongue by Czesław Miłosz

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Isn't it heart-warming to see how many dutiful poets are saving their mother tongues?

Isn't it heart-wrenching to see how many mother tongues are in the need of such saving?

Day- #APoemADay
When people say, “we have made it through worse before” - @ClintSmithIII

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I lost my best friend to depression last year.

While I am grateful to be able to write this thread in 2021, today's poem is a painful reminder of how 2020 wasn't as kind to all.

Day- #APoemADay
'B (If I Should Have a Daughter)' and 'Hiroshima' by @kaysarahsera

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This month, I wish you the zeal that Sarah Kay exudes while performing today's poems at her TED2011 talk!

Day- #APoemADay
naya hukm-nama by @JavedAkhtarJadu

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Every time I read this poem, I travel back in time to Jashn-e- @Rekhta 2017!
There, I saw a chilly Delhi evening being set alight by the applause Javed Akhtar received for his performance of this poem!

@JashneRekhta

Day- #APoemADay
Sweetness, Always by Pablo Neruda

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Today's poem makes me want to learn Spanish just so I can read the untranslated works of Pablo Neruda!

Day - *BONUS* #APoemADay
The World Is in Pencil by Todd Boss

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You can almost hear the divine pencil scratching while reading today's bonus poem!

Day- #APoemADay
Mysteries, Yes by Mary Oliver

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Welcome to the comfort of today's poem!
I hope you find many moments to laugh in astonishment and bow your head this month.

Day- *BONUS* #APoemADay
The Moment by Margaret Atwood

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Today's bonus poem is a humbling read.
When did it become human nature to claim ownership over mother Nature?

Day- #APoemADay
Babinski Sign by Dawn McGuire, MD

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Did I plan in advance to share today's poem on #WorldHealthDay?
Am I absolutely delighted by this happy coincidence?

Day- #APoemADay
Aristotle by Billy Collins

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Today's poem is equal parts wit and philosophy. ♟♛

Day- #APoemADay
The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman

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Today's poem is a fantastic North Star for any country to have.
(Also, how impressive is Amanda Gorman! )

Day- #APoemADay
Eating Poetry by Mark Strand

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May the first stanza of today's poem be a portrait of ours this month!

Day- *BONUS* #APoemADay
An Exchange of Gifts by Alden Nowlan

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If no one read today's bonus poem, was it ever even written?

Day- *BONUS BONUS* #APoemADay
Quarantine by Christopher H. Schifeling, MD

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Modern love requires contemporary poems!

Day 11 - #APoemADay
Sign Language by Rives

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Today's spoken-word poem has a luminosity so infectious, it makes your day brighter!

Day 12 - #APoemADay
They’ll say, ‘She must be from another country’ by Imtiaz Dharker

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Today's poem is a vessel, filled to the brim with palpable tension and intensity.

Day 13 - #APoemADay
Separation by W.S. Merwin

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It would be unjust to attempt a caption for today’s poem. It just stands on its own and fills you up in seconds!

h/t @amitvarma’s 2020 poetry thread

Day 14 - #APoemADay
Itra De Cho by Shiv Kumar Batalvi

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Today, we treat ourselves to a love poem so sweet, it exemplifies the sweetness of the language it is written in!

(Bonus link to a beautiful performance of the poem: )

Day 14 - *BONUS* #APoemADay
On the Train, a Man Snatches My Book, Reads - @Paige_M_Lewis

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"I'm / the vice president of panic and the president is / missing."

h/t @JohnGreen

Day 15 - #APoemADay
The Patience of Ordinary Things by Pat Schneider

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May you get a chance to slow down and enjoy today's poem!

Day 15 - *BONUS* #APoemADay
Anagrammer by Peter Pereira

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Is this (today's bonus) or (a bossy donut)?

Day 16 - #APoemADay
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth

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Today's poem is a classic, announcing the arrival of a carefree Spring!

Day 16 - *BONUS* #APoemADay
Daffodowndilly by A.A. Milne

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I love how today's bonus poem pairs perfectly with Wordsworth's tribute to his favorite flowers!

Today's poems are 3 glowing testaments to powers of Billy Collins's observation, imagination, and wit!

Day 17 - #APoemADay
(1/3)
The Flying Notebook by Billy Collins

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I wonder if, like Collins's notebooks, my iPad also flies while I sleep?

Day 17 - #APoemADay
(2/3)
Forgetfulness by Billy Collins

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May all your moons drift out of love poems, even after the quadratic equation has long packed its bag!

Please also enjoy an animated version of the poem:

Day 17 - #APoemADay
(3/3)
Eastern Standard Time by Billy Collins

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Today's final poem is a curious manifesto to a most unusual target audience!

Day 18 - #APoemADay
The Road Ahead or The Road Behind by George Moriarty

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My favorite birthday ritual is an annual revisit to today's poem!

Day 18 - *BONUS* #APoemADay
If by Rudyard Kipling

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Today's bonus poem is a classic that's also served as a North Star to many!

Day 19 - #APoemADay
Singularity by Marie Howe

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Today's poem touches on the grandest ideas with the kindest words!

Here's a beautifully animated version of the narration by the poet: https://vimeo.com/411239105 

Day 19 - *BONUS* #APoemADay
Paaji by Ramneek Singh

As a Sikh boy who's lived a fourth of his life alone in a 'cosmopolitan' New Delhi, @TobaRamneekS 's spoken-word poem hits me uncomfortably close to home!

Day 20 - #APoemADay
Main Tenu Fer Milangi by Amrita Pritam

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Coming from Punjabi's most accomplished poetess, today's poem pulls at the strings of deep longing!

Day 20 - *BONUS* #APoemADay
The Danger of Writing Defiant Verse - Dorothy Parker

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Today's bonus poem is just another example of the rebel Dorothy Parker being her true witty self!

Day 21 - #APoemADay
59, Paper People, and The Sunshine Kid by Harry Baker

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1. Enjoy @harrybakerpoet perform.
2. Laugh out loud at how nerdy and fun the poems are.
3. Marvel at how thoughtful each of these poems is!
4. Repeat.

Day 22 - #APoemADay
Mr. Minister, We Would Believe You But We Were There by Diksha Bijlani ( @BijlaniDiksha)

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Today's poem offers its verse to the unsaid emotions of a mourning nation.

#COVID19India

Day 22 - *BONUS* #APoemADay
Why I Don't Write About George Floyd by @ToiDerricotte

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Not justice. But, accountability.

#BLM #BlackLivesMatter

Day 22 - *BONUS BONUS* #APoemADay
May we raise children who love the unloved things - Nicolette Sowder

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Here's a hopeful poem for the not-so-hopeful time...

Day 23 - #APoemADay
A Puppy Called Puberty & A Dog Called Elderly - Adrian Mitchell

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Today's poems are the naughtiest of the lot!

Day 24 - #APoemADay
He Tells Her by Wendy Cope

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It's striking to imagine how many women will relate to today's poem!

Day 24 - *BONUS* #APoemADay
The Chart by Rafael Campo

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Among the many delights of curating poems for this thread, stumbling upon Dr. Campo's work will remain dearest to me!

#MedTwitter