“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.”
– Troilus and Cressida, William Shakespeare
Tomorrow is Poem in Your Pocket Day! This celebration of literacy and culture originated in 2002 in New York City and has expanded across the United States. On this day, during National Poetry Month, you’re encouraged to select a poem, carry it on a slip of paper in your pocket, and share it with others throughout the day.
Other ways to share a poem include: reading a poem aloud to family and friends, or to the animals and plants outside your door; adding a poem to your email footer or posting one on social media; printing a poem and illustrating the blank space.
Here are a few of our favorite nature poems. Which poem will you select for Poem in Your Pocket Day? Share it with us in the comments!
Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you:
But when the leaves hang trembling,
The wind is passing through.
Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I:
But when the trees bow down their heads,
The wind is passing by.
– Who Has Seen the Wind,
Christina Rossetti
A haiku from a Four Winds naturalist educator:
Single black cricket
Loves singing, dancing, night life
Seeks music lover
A haiku from a Four Winds volunteer:
trapeze artists and
tightrope walkers furry tailed
in a steel gray sky
Dear Oak,
I am round and ready. Bursting
with hope, crammed with possibilities.
I know I must drop and sleep and
sprout and grow. So Slow! But then,
Oak, I’ll stretch up my arms,
strong and true. I’ll be your
friend, the one who rises
up beside you.
Love,
Acorn
– Dear Acorn (Love, Oak) Letter Poems to Friends by Joyce Sidman
