National Poetry Month: the Wonder of words

National Poetry Month aims to increase awareness and appreciation for poetry in the United States. It’s celebrated in April, but I need to throw it back to November to truly illustrate how much we appreciate poetry at At The Roots. At our Gratitude Dinner last year, teams competed for the best gratitude poem. The competition was so fierce that there is no clear winner, even to this day.  

Here are our contenders so you can make the call: 

Comment your favorite so we can pick a winner! Even though it’s so obviously #3. 😉 

Aside from entertainment, recreation, and community (all super important, btw,) poetry can be a healthy way to manage uncomfortable emotions.  

I don’t remember when exactly my love affair with words began, but I remember always reading everything I could get my hands on and writing my own books, poems, and plays in elementary school. By middle school, I had authored a complete series of graphic novels starring our family dog.  

As a born perfectionist, poetry was especially healing because there is no “right way” to do it. You don’t have to rhyme or follow the rules of grammar, you just need words. When I was sixteen, and I was going through a difficult and confusing time in my life, I often turned to poetry as a way to cope. At that time, writing was probably the only healthy coping skill I practiced. Poetry helped me gain clarity and empowered me.  

I read my cringeworthy, post-teenage breakup rhymes at a Poetry Slam at the Acoustic Cafe and once won a gift certificate for the Green Mill (IYKYK.) The experience stuck with me.  

There was something transformative about this form of expression. My voice, my experiences, my words were valued. That’s probably a big part of why I write today. It’s still an effective way for me to organize my thoughts and emotions into something explicit and is my preferred creative outlet.  

It’s a part of me. 

This is also true for Astrid Ela, a connection specialist at At The Roots who has her inspired hands in everything creative. A published poet, she shares her work at open mic nights in the community. (I was able to solicit this insider tip: there are open mic nights where you can share your creations every Tuesday, 7 pm – 10 pm at The Plus, or Wednesdays at 7 pm at The Lakely.)  Astrid’s poetry can be enjoyed here: https://substack.com/@astridela 

You absolutely do not have to share your writing to experience something fun and transformative. Truthfully, I don’t share a lot of what I write. When I write only for myself, for catharsis, I have no intention of editing it into something coherent or digestible. It’s intimate and vulnerable to pour out your uninhibited soul onto paper, and there is something about leaving it untouched and unseen that is beautiful in its raw imperfection.  

Whether you're a passionate poetry enthusiast or someone who's never written a poem, take this as your sign to pick up a pen and start writing.  

No pressure. No pretense. Just words.