April – what a month. I ushered it in with my annual April 1 (bunny bunny) reading of T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land,” then spent almost the entire remainder of the month reading and listening (and reading and listening, and reading and listening) to Leonard Cohen’s last book, The Flame. At month’s end, I had read the tactile book twice and listened to it on CD at least four times, if not five (starting in March). It was worth every minute. In between, I got to see Andrea Gibson perform, and read a lot of other poetry by a wide range of authors. I read poetry every single day of April, and it was a blessing. I also wrote poetry every day, although not all of it got published here. Here are all the pieces that did. There also were pieces I started and am still working on, pieces I discarded, and little snippets that found life only on my Twitter stream. Case in point:

April Sunrise when even the treetops don Easter bonnets and parade their new finery for all to see, dazzling yellow-green spring foliage glowing high against the western sky

— Kim Kishbaugh (@kkish) April 27, 2019

Writing poetry everyday was a wonderful exercise in mindfulness for me, pushing me to focus in on one clear thought at a time. Much of my day is typically spent flitting from project to project, conversation to conversation, quick request to quick request. Spending time each evening (some mornings) slowing down and really concentrating was meditative, rewarding and joyful. It fed my soul and helped me cope with two April snowstorms and a boatload of dreary, rainy days. Along with serenity and focus, it also helped me publish an astonishing (for me) 23 blog posts over the course of the month. I’m sad to report that I didn’t manage to include any writing on Escape into Life, but my husband did – so here’s a shameless plug for his very interesting short piece about a cartoon kerfuffle at the New York Times. Up next? I’ve got more poetry CDs in the car for my daily commute, but also essays and some fiction. Right now I’m playing the Caedmon Poetry Collection: A Century of Poets Reading Their Work. The recordings and reading styles vary in quality, but it’s inspiring me to pull out my old Norton Anthology of Modern Poets and peruse it for regular reading. (I feel like I’m back in college again.) Thanks to all who have played National Poetry Month and #poemaday with me. It’s been fun. Now, May (bunny bunny again), spring on the sun and flowers.