April Apropos for a Poem

April might be the cruelest month according to T.S. Eliot, but across the nation it's the month of poetry– when rhymes reign and sonnets sing.

And across town, from the Wilton Library to Wilton schools, the spotlight is on the lyrical medium.

"Personally, I believe that poetry allows us to speak and be spoken to in profound and enlightening ways- one step removed from our own realities, yet one step closer to realities to which others can relate," said Kathy Leeds, executive director at the Wilton Library.

Poetry is an echo, asking a shadow to dance, wrote Carl Sandburg.

Leeds said library patrons should borrow and read poetry, whether it is a slim volume or a hefty tome. For the electronically inclined, surf the web and read poems and about poets.

"When I listen, year after year, to the poems our teens perform, I am always moved most by those that reveal inner truths, seemingly without effort," Leeds said. "Whatever it is about poems that unleashes honesty and banishes embarrassment– is wonderful."

Leeds recommends The Poetry Foundation site and wants people to remember there are several programs this month from the Spring Poetry Series with Joanna Ecke to Keep a Poem in Your Pocket Week. Children can visit the library during the week of April 12 and recite a poem for a prize. 

"Most of all, take time to read, reflect upon, recite, and react to poetry," Leeds said.