Balance & Poetry

What it means to me

April is National Poetry Month and a great time to celebrate the poets we love. I’ve been posting a different poet I love almost every day this month in my Notes. Almost. I missed a few days. Today is the last day of April and I saved the best for last. My poet friend, Jen Rouse, writes wonderful poetry and I selected the above poem for today from her award winning book A Trickle of Bloom Becomes You. I love the way she entwines botany, women botanists, and social commentary so expertly and pleasurably. Recently Jen was awarded a fellowship for the International Poetry Conference in Koprivshtitsa, Bulgaria themed "Endangered Nature.” She was one of only eight poets selected - Wow! I am very happy for Jen and she definitely is deserving of this honor.

In these unsettling and stressful times I turn to poetry for solace, beauty, and a template for what life can be and should be. I think it’s great there are so many subjects and inspirations for poets to explore but I personally don’t read it to be lectured to. I read it to get away from the almost constant politicisation and virtue signaling so prevalent in recent times. I don’t think I’m alone in this. There must be a balance and poetry provides that for me.

I have a collection of nature poems and photography coming out in Peacock Journal. I don’t know the date but I’ll post it here when they’re published. Peacock’s tagline is “Beauty first” and it is a beautiful magazine. This will be my second pub there - my first was “Homes of New Orleans”, a set of photographs, which was a great experience so I’m very happy they accepted this passel of poems.

I think we all need to make it a point to protect our mental health when we’re exposed to so much turmoil and hate that’s ongoing in our country and the world. Keeping a balance is important.