NPM Day 16: Something Poetic

Many of the poetry books in my collection have come from book sales or library discards. Some of these books still have the pockets for a card and stamped dates indicating when the books were checked out. 

The Dream Keeper and other poems by Langston Hughes was first published in 1932. My edition published by Knopf came out in 1994. Illustrated by Brian Pinkney, the artwork was done on scratchboard, a technique in which a white board is covered with black ink. The ink is then scratched off with a sharp tool to reveal white underneath. The book was checked out once in '94, twice in '95 twice in '96, and once in '97, '99, '00, and '08.

Here's a favorite poem from this collection:

Worlds I Know and Other Poems by Myra Cohn Livingston, with drawings by Tim Arnold, was also a discard from the middle school library where I taught. It was published in 1985 The stamped card inside the front cover shows it was checked out twice in '88, once in 92, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 06, and 09. My guess is that our library moved to digital checkouts somewhere around 2010. While some of the poems may seem a bit dated, "Lemonade Stand" speaks to every child who's ever sold lemonade on a hot summer day. 

A Fury of Motion: Poems for Boys by Charles Ghigna was published in 2003 and purchased as a used book. It has a wonderful inscription on the first page.

 

Ab imo pectore is a Latin phrase that translates as "from the bottom of my heart" or "with deep affection." While this book was written with boys in mind and a hope to attract them to the world of poetry, my favorite poem, like many of the poems in the book, has universal appeal.

 

"Something poetic" every day is my commitment for NPM this year. 

I'll spotlight a favorite poem or book or poet or share a quote I love. 

Maybe I'll even stretch myself and occasionally write an original poem.