59. National Poetry Month

April is NationalPoetryMonth . If you haven't been reading enough poetry lately, this is the time to forge into new territory or at least amble through the familiar and favorite.

You can check out some original (and amusing) poems at GottaBook .

And since poetry isn't limited to adult tastes, but encompasses silly rhymes and jingles, and youthful as well as eternal subjects, kids can get into the poetry act, too. The Children's Book Council has declared the third week of April as the young people's poetry week (read about it here: youngpeople'spoetryweek ). Teachers can find ideas for bringing poetry alive in the classroom here . Or look for one of my favorite reference volumes: A KICK IN THE HEAD, an everyday guide to poetic forms, by Paul B. Janeczko, illustrated by Chris Raschka.

If you want to see what fun they're having over Manhattan way, you can read some raucous entries at Gawker .

But if you're feeling surly, take comfort. There are those poets who chafe at the idea of a month devoted to their art. Here's an interesting essay telling us why a national poetry month is a bad idea.

I'm not a poet, just a humble blogger. But I think poetry month is a good thing, to remind those of us who sometimes get too caught up in daily routines and our personal lives that we can expand our limits with a little poetry.