World Poetry Day – from big to new names
World Poetry Day is celebrated on March 21 and was declared by UNESCO in 1999.
Its purpose is to promote the reading, writing, publishing and teaching of poetry throughout the world.
“Poetry speaks to our common humanity and our shared values, transforming the simplest of poems into a powerful catalyst for dialogue and peace” – UNESCO.
What’s your favourite poem?
Here is mine:
Keeping Quiet
Pablo NerudaNow we will count to twelve
and we will all keep still
for once on the face of the earth,
let’s not speak in any language;
let’s stop for a second,
and not move our arms so much.It would be an exotic moment
without rush, without engines;
we would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.Fishermen in the cold sea
would not harm whales
and the man gathering salt
would not look at his hurt hands.Those who prepare green wars,
wars with gas, wars with fire,
victories with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their brothers
in the shade, doing nothing.What I want should not be confused
with total inactivity.
Life is what it is about;
I want no truck with death.If we were not so single-minded
about keeping our lives moving,
and for once could do nothing,
perhaps a huge silence
might interrupt this sadness
of never understanding ourselves
and of threatening ourselves with death.
Perhaps the earth can teach us
as when everything seems dead
and later proves to be alive.Now I’ll count up to twelve
and you keep quiet and I will go.
Irish Pride
Four Irishmen have won the Nobel Prize in Literature: William Butler Yeats (1923), George Bernard Shaw (1925), Samuel Beckett (1969) and Séamus Heaney (1995)
However, we feel deeply inspired by Yeats’ words. He is one of the few writers whose greatest works were written after the award of the Nobel Prize. His poetry made him one of the outstanding and most influential twentieth-century poets writing in English.
Today, we pay tribute to the Irishman by sharing his work. Click here for The Winding Stair and Other Poems (1933).
New age
Also, as well as celebrating notorious big names, we have few new artists writing poetry for the millennial age.
Check them out:
View this post on Instagrami will spend my entire life writing. i will leave behind volumes upon volumes of work. and they will barely scratch the surface.
#rmdrake pic.twitter.com/zykKPe5zkE
— R. M. Drake (@rmdrk) March 16, 2019
Let us know what you think in the comments!
We recognise the unique ability of poetry to capture the creative spirit of the human mind. So, on World Poetry Day we encourage you to celebrate by reading, sharing and writing poetry.
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PS. Yesterday was the International Day of Happiness, here are our tips to keep smiling!
