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National Poetry Month was launched by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996. For the rest of April, each day we publish a poem: your favorite poem--one of your own or one by a published author.
Send your poem to janeEstahl@comcast.net with a sentence or two about yourself as the author or why the poem is among your favorites. And stay tuned for announcements of local poetry readings in the area that you may wish to attend to celebrate the integral role poets play in our culture.
by Tom Johnson-Medland
“WHAT COULD A WORD HOLD”
What could a word hold
if you gave it a chance.
Could it contain a string
of memories and meanings,
like a bag of candy on
Halloween. This one is from
the Smiths at the end of the
street who have a son name
Joey who plays army with me
on the weekends and lets me
sleep over. That one is from
Nana next door who lets me
stay at her house everyday
after school - milk and cookies
and a big swing set out back.
Might colors and music be
hidden deep inside, escaping
with a burst like a calliope or a
fireworks display. First a cymbal
crash and a pipe organ. Next
a fountain of endless blues and
silver.
Or do they already harbor
those associations within, just
beyond reach if we do not
listen, ruminate, and pause. Giving
ample space for their dimensions
to unfurl. Like the flags of countless
nations fallen limp until the great
gusts of wind grab them and
twirl them into dances.
It takes great sweeps of time to
press the juice out of a word.
Little by endless little; pressing,
always for more. Until. Until
the cup is full, the hint exposed,
the meaning grasped firmly and
that inner self sated and content.
Place all your intent in every word,
and pause - always for an instant or
more if you may - to soak up what
hides in the corner of every letter.
What could a word hold
if you gave it a chance
Tom has had over fifty articles and poems published across a variety of journals and magazines. He has also had twenty-six books published to date - fourteen of these are volumes of poetry. The most recent volumes RIVER BENDING: Poems of the Delaware River and Her Tributaries, and WAYFARING Stranger: Poems of the Nomad Soul published with Wipf and Stock Publishers. You can read more about Tom and his works at tomjohnsonmedland.com
We are committed to the education, development, and collaboration of local poets; to awaken artistic expression in local communities. wordhive.org
Tom's Website: CLICK HERE
Tom Johnson-Medland
President of the Board
word hive: a space for poets
203 Walnut Street / Apt 1 / Columbia / PA / 17512
Tom's Google Voice Account: 570-243-1047
Tom's Hospice Cell: 223-225-6141
More News from Boyertown
- Phil Repko Adds "Ankh" to Repertoire for National Poetry Month Phile Repko, educator and poet, continues his annual effort, along with his two sons during National Poetry Month, to create a poem each day.
- Black-Throated Blue Warbler: Bird of the Month The black-throated blue warbler is an attractive sign of spring common in the Boyertown area during its breeding season.
