Poem in my Pocket

Tomorrow is Poem In Your Pocket Day! See http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/406 for more details. Across the country, people will have the opportunity to carry a poem in their pockets to share with friends, family, or colleagues. I thought about selecting a few favorite lays, writing them out on fancy stationery, and handing them out to my co-workers while happily announcing, "Happy Poem in Your Pocket Day!" This might be a bit too much work, but I like the idea. Settling for something more economical, I'm probably just going to email everyone my favorite poem.

What fine lines have struck my fancy so much that I them favorite? Certainly, lines from Eliot's Prufrock have staying power. That good metaphysical sonnet from John Donne -- Death Be Not Proud -- dances around in the brain. Yet, perhaps the poem that means the most to me is from the Romantic Period. Wordsworth's Lines Written in Early Spring has resonated since I took a survey course called British Literature II, which started with the Romantic Period and went through the 20th Century.

Lines Written in Early Spring

I heard a thousand blended notes,

While in a grove I sate reclined,

In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts

Bring sad thoughts to the mind.

To her fair works did Nature link

The human soul that through me ran;

And much it grieved my heart to think

What man has made of man.

Through primrose tufts, in that green bower,

The periwinkle trailed its wreaths;

And ’tis my faith that every flower

Enjoys the air it breathes.

The birds around me hopped and played,

Their thoughts I cannot measure:—

But the least motion which they made

It seemed a thrill of pleasure.

The budding twigs spread out their fan,

To catch the breezy air;

And I must think, do all I can,

That there was pleasure there.

If this belief from heaven be sent,

If such be Nature’s holy plan,

Have I not reason to lament

What man has made of man?

(Text from Poetry.org)

I will share this poem tomorrow. I hope many people partake in this as I think it is a great way to talk about the creative works which have personal meaning. Happy sharing!