UNESCO World Poetry Day

Today is UNESCO World Poetry Day. Which brings me to ask…”What is UNESCO?”

UNESCO is United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. That answered the question for you, right? Yeah, me neither. Their website says they work “to create the conditions for dialogue among civilizations, cultures and peoples, based upon respect for commonly shared values.”

UNESCO’s mission is to contribute to the building of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information.

Sounds great! I wonder how poetry works to help accomplish this mission. The aim is to promote the reading, writing, and teaching of poetry.  This day is dedicated to reflection on the power of language and the full development of a person’s creative abilities. It also hopes to provide a return to the oral tradition of poetry through recitals.

Poetry contributes to diversity. It questions our use of words, things, and modes of perception. It has the power to alter our understanding of the world.

In honor of World Poetry Day, here is a poem written by me.

The Colors of Kindness

Dark greens, stormy seas

frothy grays waves, coast bashing

crashing against raw emotion

helping him who wounded

swallowing self

for another’s needs

 

Pink and orange of dawn

sunrises, rays pierce darkness

helping hand stretches

to one lost in despair

answering prayer

a tiny light before day

 

Center bulls eye blood red

becoming the target

to save another

the courge to say no

protecting the weak

standing before the arrow

without flinching

 

Spring grass, soft and green

sights of birth and growth

new friendships born

old ones rekindled

new seeds sown

a healing balm

 

Tranquil lakes, Carolina blue

Inner peace, calms turmoil

lazy carefree afternoons

at ease knowing you

harm none, love some, help all

Hard Choices

I sit here debating which of three poems best conveys my message. 

The first was an assignment on the Color of Nature.  It had to be a rhyming poem. I quickly set out to meet the given criteria.  The resulting poem is light and pretty. While it softly addresses my message that being kind is not always easy, verses lack emotion.

My second attempt goes into more depth. I abandoned the assignment and strayed from end rhymes. It better conveys my message. But, it lacks a poetic feel.

Edgier was my third attempt. It is not pretty. Rather, it expresses more raw emotion. This poem lacks extra words, maybe even important connecting words. It is grittier than the other two.

Three poems with the same message. Interestingly, the concept got riskier with each attempt. But, as I stand before a microphone, which will I be most confident reading? I didn’t know, so I asked others.

Four people consulted. The results…a tie. Two people think the softer poem is the best of the three. It is definitely the most traditional. The other two prefer the edge of the last poem.

One person explained. She, a senior citizen, thought the first poem was the prettiest. However, it was the raw emotion of the third that drew her interest. It best revealed the poet.

I have gathered all three poems. It will be interesting to see which one I am brave enough to read this evening. Do I go with safe or expose myself to the audience?

Oh, just an interesting side note: the youngest and the oldest (both females) of my four people preferred the edgier piece. The two middle aged males liked the softer rhyming piece. My risk taker thought the rhyming piece was best. Although he never said it was good, just better than the others.

Tribute to Blackbeard.

My friend's beloved service dog recently died. Blackbeard was a loyal dog, dedicated to the human he helped. Here is a poem in tribute to this valiant animal.

Consciousness you lost.
He went for help. Tires bark. Thud!
Lifeless pup. Hearts weep.