A little about poetry

There is a moment that we all experience where the world seems to pause.

It may be that we feel a sense of peace...with where we are at, with who we are, or perhaps merely with the day. 

It may be that as we sit in the busyness of the day we catch a glimpse of a special moment between two people, the blissful quiet and innocence of a child sleeping, watch someone laugh a true laugh without abandon.

ccby "Future in Hands" Ivan Niznicki

It may be that moment of comfort when someone touches your hand, pats you on the back, rests their head if just for a second on your shoulder, or simply smiles at you in a way
that sinks into your subconscious the pure and simple fact that you are known, appreciated, loved.

It may be that second when, between your rushing and juggling the crazy balancing act in life that you look up and see the cloudless blue sky echoing the potential, the energy of the day.  You see the rain-laden leaves of grass bending down to the fragrant earth.  You stop and look up to see the sunshine peeking through leaves and branches like a childhood kaleidoscope. You take a breath and inhale the wonder and freshness of the day and the world around you.

It is in that moment when the crushing volume of tasks, stresses, emotions, and time pressures all fade away, and for just a few seconds we too pause, feeling connected with something greater than ourselves. 
 And we feel it...the peace of life, of being a part of it, of glimpsing the beauty that it holds so openly but oft we fail to take hold of, of all that stretches before us with the incredible power to lift us up out of our daily experiences and show us just what life actually is, what is worthwhile and precious about it. 

That moment is all too often very fleeting.  We don't or maybe cannot hold onto it.  And then everything else crowds back in and we move on forgetting by the end of the day that there was a pause, that we felt something there, that there is more to be seen, to be learned, and perhaps to be felt.

It is that moment, I feel, that is captured by the poets.  It is a truth, plainly and openly seen when you take the moment to look.  It is a beauty purely expressed that reaches through all of the noise to the heart of who we are and life's experience.  
Now, I'm sure that some of you were wondering where I was going with all of this.  Poetry.  Yes, that's it, poetry.  

April launches one of our favorite months here at TVCC, National Poetry Month.  Yes, we do get very excited about it.  Why? Because of what poetry is and does.  For me, it captures those moments I've been writing of.  I know you've all experienced them.  I know that you all can connect to them.  That's what poetry is, the purest, most raw expression of the most intimate of human moments.  It can be lovely, yes.  But it can also be harsh, crass, funny, profane, painful, and ultimately, beautiful.  Let's face it, something that connects with your soul, makes you smile in wonder and delight, may not remotely connect with mine.  But the poets, the good ones, look at the world differently from you and I.  They see those moments.  They stop to look at them more often, capturing in words those experiences.  They capture just who they and often who we are allowing us to relive or see for the first time those moments of truth and the beauty of our own experience again. 

Oh yes, I can almost hear some of your skeptical responses as I write this.  Poetry can't do all of that.  No one has written about me, but I challenge you that they have.  I challenge you all that there is a poem, a verse, a line that you can find which you will connect with, which you will find speaks of something within you.  Check out this poetry slam video and listen for the moments, the truth, the parts of you that connect.

Intrigued?  Want to hear more?  Here's what we've got planned this month.

Wednesday, April 8th - Black-out Poetry night, come and create your own poems, art, or just have fun in the Library from 6-8:30 p.m.
Tuesday, April 14th - An evening with Lawson Inada: jazz, poetry, and more.
Wednesday, April 15th - Writing workshop with Lawson Inada in the Library from 2-3:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 23rd - Movie night featuring James Franco and John Hamm. 7 p.m. in the Science Building.

And in between those, you'll see some fun poetry in your inbox from us to tempt you to give poetry a try.  So stay tuned for more details.