Put a Poem in Your Pocket
What’s in your pocket? Keys? Or a phone? If it’s a poem in your pocket, you won’t be alone. Join us in celebrating national Poem in Your Pocket day on April 26.
On this day and as part of National Poetry Month, you’re encouraged to select–or write–a poem and carry it with you.
You can share it with others at schools, bookstores, parks and on social media with the hashtag #pocketpoem.
“Draw a picture,
Write a nutty poem,
Sing a mumble-gumble song,
Whistle through your comb.
Do a loony-goony dance
‘Cross the kitchen floor,
Put something silly in the world
That ain’t been there before.”
–“Put Something In” from A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
Inspire Young Minds
At MarbleSpark, we love this idea as a way to inspire young writers and dreamers. And who couldn’t benefit from carrying some inspiration along with them throughout their day?
Our local schools even seem to think the idea of sharing motivational words can benefit their students at test time and have adapted a similar idea.
Lighten the Mood
Recently, to help alleviate test anxiety, my children’s school began asking all parents to provide notes of encouragement for their kids. Before each state test, the kids get to open an uplifting, hand-written note from their parents. (The teachers also write notes in case parents forget. Wink. Wink.)
Sometimes we include a joke—usually some sort of potty humor for my son. Sometimes we include an inspiring Harry Potter quote for my Gryffindor-loving daughter. But really, what could be better than a poem?
“Machines can’t make
Your Wishes come true.
To realize your dreams,
You only need…YOU!”
Excerpted from: “The Amazing Wish Machine” from our collection The Yeti in My Freezer
I don’t know if test scores are up after the encouraging words, but I do know that my kids have saved every single note that they’ve gotten.
Lunchbox Literature
Of course, these words of inspiration don’t have to be limited to just one day. I know one mom friend whose first-grade son was upset and crying every day about going to school.
She reached out to friends on social media for ideas on easing the time away. One of her favorite ideas was to send words of encouragement (or special pictures for the non-readers) in her son’s lunchbox.
“Most folks look at me and think,
‘Ah, he’s just a little kid…’
But what they cannot see is that
I’m keeping something hid.
Shhh! I’m a superhero.
Not a single person knows:
Underneath my jeans and shirt
Are super hero clothes.”
Excerpted from: “Super Hero” from our collection The Yeti in My Freezer
What poem will you have in your pocket on April 26?
According to www.poets.org, Poem in Your Pocket Day was initiated in April 2002 by the Office of the Mayor in New York City, in partnership with the city’s Departments of Cultural Affairs and Education. In 2008, the Academy of American Poets took the initiative to all fifty United States, encouraging individuals around the country to participate. In 2016, the League of Canadian Poets extended Poem in Your Pocket Day to Canada.
