Did you know that poetry is honored for an entire month? Since 1996, April has been designated as National Poetry Month as a literary celebration. The Academy of American Poets declared it an annual celebration of the significance of poetry in our culture, and it encourages all poets to share their work. Many students, poets, and publishers participate in and celebrate National Poetry Month every year.

Throughout April, several activities are happening to promote and celebrate it. An exclusive poster will be distributed free of charge to schools, libraries, and community centers is among the initiatives offered by the Academy of American Poets. In addition, students will be introduced to different poetic forms and poets from various schools, among other things.

On this day, we've compiled a collection of some of the most beautiful poems to celebrate poetry and art.

 

Hope” is the thing with feathers, by Emily Dickinson

“Hope” is the thing with feathers 

That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all 

And sweetest in the Gale is heard
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm 

I’ve heard it in the chillest land
And on the strangest Sea
Yet never in Extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

"Love and Friendship" by Emily Brontë

Love is like the wild rose-briar,

Friendship is like the holly-tree —

The olly is dark when the rose-briar blooms 

But which will bloom more constantly?

What Is Our Life? By Sir Walter Raleigh

What is our life? The play of passion.

Our mirth? The music of division:
Our mothers’ wombs the tiring-houses be,
Where we are dressed for life’s short comedy.
The earth the stage; Heaven the spectator is,
Who sits and views whosoe’er doth act amiss. 
The graves which hide us from the scorching sun
Are like drawn curtains when the play is done.
Thus playing post we to our latest rest,
And then we die in earnest, not in jest.

Leisure by W.H. Davies

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

#34 from Milk and Honey, by Rupi Kaur

most importantly love
like it’s the only thing you know how
at the end of the day all this
means nothing
this page
where you’re sitting
your degree
your job
the money
nothing even matters
except love and human connection
who you loved
and how deeply you loved them
how you touched the people around you
and how much you gave them

Love After Love by Derek Walcott

 

The time will come

when, with elation

you will greet yourself arriving

at your own door, in your own mirror

and each will smile at the other’s welcome,

 

and say, sit here. Eat.

You will love again the stranger who was your self,

Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart

to itself, to the stranger who has loved you

 

all your life, whom you ignored

for another, who knows you by heart.

Take down the love-letters from the bookshelf,

 

the photographs, the desperate notes,

peel your own image from the mirror.

Sit. Feast on your life.

 

If you want to learn more about National Poetry Month, visit their website via this link. You'll learn about all of the activities, initiatives, and resources available for you to take part in National Poetry Month.