Poetry is something taught in early elementary and parts of middle school to introduce the way beauty and pain can be emphasized without direct wording. Unless you take an advanced course in English literature or take a dabble in some college literature classes, you aren't exactly taught how to read and take in poetry. For that reason, not many people read these beautiful works because they don't understand what they are reading--or so they think.

For those of us that did take a chance on poetry, we see the world differently because of it. We dove into it and let it consume us in the most empowering way. We don't have to survey the author or every stanza to look for a "deeper" meaning: we find our own meaning in them. THAT is what poetry can do.

Poetry is a rare form of art nowadays. We rely on the old famous authors, who are long gone now, to feed our poetry desires: Robert Frost, Maya Angelou, or Emily Dickinson. And, if not them, those who try to write modern poetry these days get ripped apart by critics for being too "different" from the classics such as Rupi Kaur.

You don't set boundaries for this kind of wonder. Every poetic piece written is magical in its own way. Celebrate it every day! Especially this month...

The month of April is National Poetry Month. "National Poetry Month was launched by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996 to remind the public that poets have an integral role to play in our culture and that poetry matters." Because it does--poetry matters!!

In these hard times, we need something to make us feel alive. Poetry can do just that.

The Academy of American Poets has created activities and resources to help give some relief while we are all trying to digest the turmoil around us. Click here to visit their site. If you haven't considered it already, take a chance. We seem to have more free time now than ever before. You won't regret it!