April, 2009, Volume 2, Number 4

April is National Poetry Month.

But one of my dear friends, whose soul is one of the most poetic I know, once confided that poetry leaves her utterly cold, and she NEVER (her emphasis) reads it.

Sadly, she is not alone. Many people fail to understand the magic of poetry. Perhaps it was a run-in with some dull English teacher in middle school; or forced marches through obscure parts of Dante and Whittier, with the emphasis on rote memorization, not the passion and meaning of the words.

But as most shamans, priestesses, Kahunas, Druids, and other magical folk know, poetry is one of the most powerful sorceries known to humankind.

Poetry is nothing less than a mighty spellworking. It uses carefully crafted Words Of Power that evoke our deepest intelligence and emotions. It weaves rhythms that inflame the senses; it ignites memory, premonition, and imagination. Poetry is a spark of Divine beauty that sings our souls awake.

So let the sweet power of poetry inspire you this month, that you may savor this Springtime more richly. Together, let us welcome, as poet Julia Dorr has called it, “April's rare capricious loveliness.”

Blessings,
-- Beth

ps: To celebrate, I am posting poetry on my blog every weekend this month.