National Poetry Day!

Happy National Poetry Day! Thank you, thank you Twitter for notifying me of this auspicious day! (I've been sick. It's not my fault I didn't remember. lol.) My poetic taste has expanded over the years. About a year ago I had the delight of being turned onto a new (okay, not so new but new to me at the time) poet of the name....

Lang Leav

Works: Love, A Misadventure (2013), Lullabies (2014), and Memories (2015)

One of the most rewarding parts of being a reader is to know that you're reading and enjoying literature and art that will be someday become classics. I would have love to have been one of Tennyson's first readers or gone to a C.S. Lewis signing. I can't say that Leav will someday be in the same literary league of fame as Tennyson but there is a definite possibility of her being around for a very long time. I read her not because of this. But, because her poetry is exactly what poetry should be. It resonates with me.

She covers love, and loss, and memories, and the little things in between. Her prose are eloquent, simple, and clear. Her books have long meanderings, short little thoughts, and the occasional journal entry or flash fiction. It's reading a living, breathing book of art.

          

As today comes to a close I'll be pulling up Memories and drifting over to my favorite parts on my Kindle. Poetry is personal for every individual. It's like music - what works for me doesn't necessarily work for everyone, and some don't even like music at all (although I can't imagine that at all). You might have another favorite poem. Maybe it's Tennyson? Or maybe it's someone else. The magical thing about poetry is that when you find someone you love it's like you're at a C.S. Lewis signing or one of Tennyson's first readers. You're part of something, maybe even more strongly than another part of the literary community, because it's poetry. It's supposed to speak to people and if it works for you then it speaks to you. Making it as personal, profound, and meaningful.

Jess