Chapter 7 - Love Letters

I am very neutral about Valentine's Day. Sure it is a great time to show your loved ones how you feel but...shouldn't you be showing them everyday? I try to never let a conversation go by without telling those I love that I love them. I write letters and notes in cards to reinforce my sentiments and I take to heart those messages written to me in letters and cards. Sometimes when the words of my feelings stick or I don't know exactly what to say - I turn to poetry. Often people who have a talent for words can express my feelings far better than I can.

I have loved poetry since I was a child, first engaging with rhyming poetry then enjoying sonnets and evolving into more freestyle poetry. It touches me in a way prose can't. I often throw in an afternoon of reading poetry to just refresh me. Prose, especially novels is often a way to escape the reality of life. Poetry on the other hand is to deep dive into myself and reflect on my life.

I have come across a few poets here of late who I think you should know about. In addition, if you haven't read these better know ones you are in for a treat. Here are my selections:

Donna Ashworth - Donna is a Scottish poet who has more than a few books under her literary belt. I can't even tell you my favorite as all of her books have something to recommend themselves. Her book Wild Hope was on the Sunday Times bestseller list for 11 weeks, no small feat for a poet. Her books include Love, I Wish I Knew, and The Right Words.

Brittany Benko - Brittany is a poet who resides in Loris, South Carolina. She has published three books of poetry and contributed to many poetry blogs and magazines. Her first book was Poetic Poetry and in it she captures her thoughts and feelings on a variety of subjects. Brittany's second book is The Guiding Pen and in it she proffers words of love and advice to her teenage daughter. Brittany's latest book is Fragments of Us, a book of love and loss. Her poetry reflects her confidence as a writer and she has an easy way of writing about difficult subjects.

Mary Oliver - Mary Oliver's poetry I have admired for a long, long time. She focused primarily on nature and wild life but like many things much of her poetry is allegorical. She won both the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and was a National Book Award Winner. If you've not read her before I suggest New And Selected Poems for a good understanding of how she wrote.

Billy Collins - Billy Collins was the U.S. Poet Laureate from 2001 to 2003 and the New York State poet from 2004 - 2006. His poems incorporate the everyday as well as the extraordinary events which make up a lifetime. While he also has many collections of poetry, I suggest Aimless Love which is a compilation of his most well known poems and some new ones too.

If you are interested in poetry but don't want to spend money before you know if you enjoy it, tap into the Poetry Foundation (https://www.poetryfoundation.org/). You will find many poets and poems to enjoy as well as a poem of the day.

One of the best non-Valentine's Day present I ever received from Dave was a 1955 boxed six volume set of Anthology of the World's Best Poems. It was one of the first things he bought me when we were dating and certainly solidified to me that he was a "keeper."

Are you a poetry fan? Let me know.