THIRTY POEMS IN 30 DAYS

APRIL is here, and so is Poetry Month. There's a chockfull of poetry events, wherever I look—on the Internet, or in the local haunts. Here in San Jose, there's been a spurt of poetry, thanks to Nils Peterson, revered Poet Laureate of Santa Clara County.

Shortly after he was nominated Poet Laureate in early 2009, he consolidated the 100-line poem, The Family Album, Santa Clara County , he put out a call for submission of poems about the County.

The winners will be announced at the end of the month, but in the meanwhile, he's had this brilliant idea of publishing a poem a day—Thirty Poems in 30 Days—on his website, www.nilspetersonpoet.wordpress.com.

Now that is something worth looking forward to the entire month of April, instead of just dreading Tax time. Certainly a better way of putting money where your mouth is.















IN APRIL
by James Hearst


This I saw on an April day:
Warm rain spilt from a sun-lined cloud,
A sky-flung wave of gold at evening,
And a cock pheasant treading a dusty path
Shy and proud.

And this I found in an April field:
A new white calf in the sun at noon,
A flash of blue in a cool moss bank,
And tips of tulips promising flowers
To a blue-winged loon.

And this I tried to understand
As I scrubbed the rust from my brightening plow:
The movement of seed in furrowed earth,
And a blackbird whistling sweet and clear
From a green-sprayed bough.


From The Complete Poetry of James Hearst, edited by Scott Cawelti
and published by the University of Iowa Press.
Used with permission. All rights reserved.(www.poets.org)