April is National Poetry Month, and April 10, 2025 is Poem in Your Pocket Day. Sponsored by the American Academy of Poets, National Poetry Month is the perfect time to slow down, savor words, ponder imagery, and enjoy the rhythm of syllables.
I always intend to read more poetry than I actually do. As a Word Nerd, I relish word play and the pictures suggested by carefully chosen words placed in lines of verse. National Poetry Month always reminds me to make time for poems.
Today, for Poem in Your Pocket Day, I share a short poem that reminds us to pause and connect with nature, as well as each other. Seems fitting for a crazy time in a churning world. Inspired by author and writing buddy Amy Makechnie, these days I’m trying to include more drawing and color in my life. I loved sketching as a child and teen. It feels good to nurture those roots of creativity again. I also noticed how writing the words of the poem, and drawing the subject of the poem, helped me dive deeper into the theme.
If you’d like to slow down to read or maybe even sketch a poem, visit Poets.org for other Poem in Your Pocket Day ideas and tips to appreciate poetry throughout the month of April.
See other short, inspiring poems that I’ve shared over the years for Poem in Your Pocket Day:
- Instructions on Not Giving Up, by Ada Limon
- When Giving is All We Have, by Alberto Rios
- 8. by bell hooks
Thanks for getting poetic with me!
I love this poem! I used to love watching nature documentaries and the underwater shots of kelp forests and the creatures that are tucked away within always astonished me.