"I've got one hand in my pocket, and the other one..."

is holding a poem!  Tomorrow is National Poem in Your Pocket Day!  What is that?  In 2002, the city of New York started the event which has since been carried on and become a nationally celebrated day.  In the ancient tradition of carrying poems or pocket-sized books of poetry in one's pocket, on this day everyone should carry their own poem.  The idea is that as you go through the day, you ask those that you meet if they have a poem in their pocket.  If you are asked, then you share it with them.  It does not have to be lengthy, original, or even serious. 
At TVCC, we are celebrating Poem in Your Pocket Day this year with prizes, treats, and of course, poetry.  How to participate....carry a poem of your choice in your pocket for the day.  It can be printed, hand-written, copied from a book, or whatever you choose.  For ideas or printable poems, click here.  If you see a teacher or college staff member wearing a button that asks if you have a poem, stop and share yours with them.  Share it with each other.  Email it to a friend.  If you share your poem with one of our button-wearing staff, they will give you a raffle ticket to be entered into our prize drawing.  You may collect as many tickets as you like.  There will be someone in most of the buildings on the Ontario campus wearing a button including the Library, Student Services, and the Bookstore.  What can you win?  Gift cards, textbook credits, t-shirts, books, movies, and so much more.
Then, after you've collected tickets throughout the day, at 6 p.m. in the Library, we will have an open-mic poetry reading, treats, and drawing for the day's winners.  Come and just listen or share a poem or two with us.  Some of the faculty and staff will be sharing some of their favorites such as the sample below written by the fabulous Robert Wrigley.

Misunderstanding

They've made love in the woods again
and now she's asleep, her head on his belly,
and he only wants to study her as she naps.

But the black carpenter ant, the one he's watched
climb the curve or her right breast,
now wanders from the pinkish aureole borderlands

in spirals round and round and round again
which is why he reaches as carefully as he can
and plucks the ant up and flicks it back to the forest,

apologizing at just the moment she opens her eyes
and almost frowns, then closes them, and allows herself
to sleep again, although he was talking to the ant.