This was originally published in 2020.
We have received so many submissions for our favorite poems for National Poetry Month that it only made sense to make a Part 2. We will start out with two poems written by one of our RBPL staff and then continue to share from other artists’ voices. These poems were written or selected by the RBPL Staff and friends.
First we will begin with a poem written by Jaime Pfisterer who doesn’t consider herself a poet but will occasionally give it a try. She believes there are some things that are best expressed through poetry and her feelings for the pandemic are one of them.
The Oxymoron Solution
There’s an invisible army
that started a world war
They strike
across oceans, borders, and doors.
They take our hands
caress our faces
then duck inside.
With this invasion
When we realize the enemy is here
it is already too late.
If the enemy is using us as vessels,
as vehicles
to the next post
then we must do something
unnatural for our species.
We must
at least for now
ban together
by staying apart.
-Jaime Pfisterer (2020 COVID-19)
Then Jaime Pfisterer wished to share a poem she wrote about an old dandelion which she uses as a metaphor for a full life cycle. It expresses her wish to be granted the opportunity to grow old and to be able to take care of others.
Admiration for the Dandelion
Her color fades from gold to white,
while others never get the chance.
Her petals turn into wishes
And
With a steady breeze,
They take off to the sky.
I hope
that I may stay
Long enough,
That I may grow
Old Enough,
to be able to grant wishes too.
-Jaime Pfisterer (2018)
Now we will continue with a collection of our favorite poetry which help to express the many complex feelings humans have in their life: joy, happiness, sadness, anger, confusion, fear, and even feelings we might not have a name for.
“The Lanyard” by Billy Collins
“Good Bones” by Maggie Smith
“Wade in the Water” by Poet Laureate, Tracy K. Smith
If you would like to hear more of Tracy’s poems, you can listen to her podcast on Slowdown Show. Our staff member Linda Hewitt says listening to the podcast has become a part of her daily routine. Maybe it can become part of yours too.