My apologies. I forgot to post this last Monday.

Salutations fellow poets!

In honor of National Poetry Month, this week’s spark will be based on the Poetfan project that was sponsored by the Academy of American Poets:

Quote:

This winter, the Academy of American Poets launched a search for America’s biggest poetry fans: people who demonstrate a passion for poetry that goes beyond the usual. After receiving hundreds of provocative entries from fans across the country, these entries surpassed our wildest expectations.

The entries that I read were startling. Fans from all over sent in their stories. Some were booksellers, some were scientists. All were ordinary people who appreciate poetry and found a way to make the poems that moved them meaningful in their everyday lives.

I’m a poetfan, but I don’t focus on any one poem or poet; instead, I save pieces of poems, lines and words, and use them to form my own conclusions about the world around me. Sometimes these pieces of poems inspire me to write my own. Sometimes the poems I love influence the nature of what I write. Sometimes I learn new things about the language that I can use. Everyday is an new beginning, as long as I make room for one new poem in my life; either one that I read, or one that I write.

Here are a few of my favorite poems, ones that inspired me in some way:

Jack Gilbert Tear It Down

Carolyn Forché For the Stranger (audio only)

Elizabeth Bishop Sestina

Robert Hass Privilege of Being (audio only)

Richard Wilbur The Writer

This week’s spark: write a poem inspired by a much-loved poem. You can use anything: either fragments of words, phrases, the style of the poem, or anything else about it that helps you get started. Please include the title and author of the poem which inspires your own. Good luck! Have fun and be creative.