Tweetspeak Poetry

A Random Day of Poetry

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Random Acts of Poetry Day rainbow seashell
There are times where, behind the curtain of our virtual presence, we ask ourselves why we do what we do at Tweetspeak. In many of those conversations, we come back to events like yesterday, Random Acts of Poetry Day. We talk often about the ways in which “poetry can be loved, created, and encountered in ordinary life,” and how one of those ways is to “paint it” in the public square. To bring poetry, in a variety of shapes and sizes and forms, to where people are. Where they live, and work, and play.

We created Random Acts of Poetry Day as just such a way. It is nothing, if not accessible. A piece of chalk and a sidewalk to stand on. A pack of Post-It Notes and a pen. A poem printed out or even committed to memory, where not even lack of electricity can keep it from poking up its head into a place where people are.

I spent Random Acts of Poetry Day teaching a class of claim adjusters, helping to prepare them for the vital, ongoing work being done after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. To start the class, I read a poem by William Stafford, “A Ritual To Read to Each Other,” reminding us of the things we must hold onto in these challenging days when Maria followed Irma, crashing into Puerto Rico; when Nate is knocking at the door of the Gulf Coast; when trauma upon trauma befell Las Vegas; when myriad other uncertainties — great and small — surround us in the world, in a nation, in our own homes, and reminding us each to hold to the other elephant’s tail, “lest the parade of our mutual life get lost in the / dark.”

Poetry can be such a way of bringing even the smallest of delights, if one will follow the impulse, on some days a random one, to help it find its way with simple tools into the public square and the lives of the folks around us. Here are some delightful Random Acts of Poetry we saw this week:

The founder of Left2Write spent the day in Washington Square Park with Post-Its and prompts in a Mason jar and “covered the blank spaces with beautiful poetry.”

I have a ridiculous smile on my face. But let me tell you why: today I ran around Washington Square Park with post-it’s and markers and prompts in a mason jar—and I asked so many strangers to celebrate Random Acts of Poetry Day with me! And they said yes. We talked about Left2Write Inc. and how excited we are to go into schools, we talked about the benefits of creative writing programs, ate “brain food”/candy and covered the blank spaces with beautiful poetry! Today we saw the magic that begins when people are left, inspiration, to write. And I am so proud of what this program can do, grateful for everyone who shared a poem with us, and lucky to be surrounded by people who support the dream. #left2write #left2writeinc #raopoetryday #randomactsofpoetry

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At Hyde Street Books, William Carlos Williams was apologizing (again) for the infamous Plum Incident:

I love @57thstreetbooks and I love poetry and I love Hyde Park. #raopoetryday Hurray!

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Laura Brown also took poetry to school, reading a Tom Wayman poem to her class:

I read "Did I Miss Anything?" by Tom Wayman to my students today. #raopoetryday (See the whole poem at the Poetry 180 website.)

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Matthew Kreider shared bagels in Winnipeg:

Two chalked sidewalks diverged in the Ryle High School parking lot:

More vital poetry on the sidewalks:

It seems we’ll never celebrate poetry in these parts without inviting the chickens:

Never let it be said that 7th Grade Poetry is for chickens:

Even groceries need poetry (we’re not sure if Sandra bought chicken):

Then there were the “poetry-ed” from Highland Forest Elementary Library:

And the buttoned!

Random Acts of poetry made it to Malaysia:

And we’ll always, always be able to count on Red Brick Poetry to go the extra mile in bringing poetry to the public square, even bringing the idea their children’s school:

What did you do to celebrate Random Acts of Poetry? These might be the sort of festivities you could (ahem) randomly celebrate on other days throughout the year.

Featured photo by Patricia Bier. Creative Commons License via Flickr.

How to Write a Poem 283 high How to Write a Poem uses images like the buzz, the switch, the wave—from the Billy Collins poem “Introduction to Poetry”—to guide writers into new ways of writing poems. Excellent teaching tool. Anthology and prompts included.

“How to Write a Poem is a classroom must-have.”
—Callie Feyen, English Teacher, Maryland

Buy How to Write a Poem Now!

 

Will Willingham
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About Will Willingham

I used to be a claims adjuster, helping people and insurance companies make sense of loss. Now, I train other folks with ladders and tape measures to go and do likewise. Sometimes, when I’m not scaling small buildings or crunching numbers with my bare hands, I read Keats upside down. My first novel is Adjustments.

Comments

  2. Sandra Heska King says

    ‘ . . . reminding us each to hold to the other elephant’s tail, “lest the parade of our mutual life get lost in the / dark.’ ”

    Yes we needed this.

    And I did not buy chicken. But I bought 2 bags of M&Ms cuz BOGO. And I deserved them after dodging produce stockers and shoppers and meat men to tuck a little randomness among the coolers and the shelves.

    Reply

  4. L.L. Barkat says

    I love the buttons especially. And so many chalked poems.

    Washington Square Park?! Soooo cool. That makes me happy, too. And the poetry-ed people. And, and, and…

    Each of these acts of poetic kindness are such a welcome sight.

    Reply

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