{"id":33645,"date":"2014-04-29T09:23:53","date_gmt":"2014-04-29T01:23:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tribune.ctsi-logistics.com\/?p=33645"},"modified":"2014-04-29T09:23:53","modified_gmt":"2014-04-29T01:23:53","slug":"monthlong-celebration-poetry-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/monthlong-celebration-poetry-4\/","title":{"rendered":"A monthlong celebration of poetry"},"content":{"rendered":"

April is National Poetry Month, a monthlong, national celebration of poetry established by the Academy of American Poets as a way to increase awareness and appreciation of poetry in the United States. To mark the occasion, Tinian English teacher Joseph B. Connolly submitted the following poems for publication:
\nSeven sonnets on mirth: From birth to *dearth<\/p>\n

THE BIRTH OF MIRTH<\/strong><\/p>\n

Come eat us, come eat us, cried the cannibals
\nKomoidia! Comedy! cried the Cretan crowds
\nSend in the clowns, birds,and some funny animals
\nForget for a while those burial shrouds<\/p>\n

Done eatin, done eatin, growled greedy guts
\nEchoing inside the bowels of the earth
\nDunedin, Dunedin, laughed the Kiwi klutz
\nFrom the North Pole to the South Pole\u00a0sounds of mirth<\/p>\n

Puffing Krakatoan cloves east of Java
\nKnee deep in Norwegian fjords covered with snow
\nOut of chute number nine in Casper, Wyoming
\nLaughter and comedy hot as fresh lava
\nJokes and jingles, nutty rhymes began to flow
\nNew parodies of \u2018Roaming in the Gloaming\u2019<\/p>\n

DOWN TO EARTH MIRTH<\/strong><\/p>\n

Much have I reveled in the realm of mirth
\nMany a good chuckle and chortle had
\nRolling with laughter around on the ground
\nAs joke follows joker none of them bad<\/p>\n

Mouth running fast on this tangent and that
\nNever dull days without yuckety yuk
\nRubbing the belly of Ho-Tei the fat
\nMore silly quack quacks from Dulcie the duck<\/p>\n

When hit in the face with thrown cussword pies
\nSeasons of slapstick took over my life
\nWiping the meringue of mirth from my eyes
\nI took many rounds of ribs from my wife
\nTeasing me about things she knew I despised
\nWith puns thick enough to cut with a knife<\/p>\n

THE GIRTH OF MIRTH<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mirth hurled many times around the world
\nUp the\u00a0Yangtze where Shanghai\u2019s Bund is
\nPast the United Nations flags all unfurled
\nTo Dublin where Wilde wrote \u2018De Profundis\u2019<\/p>\n

Fat men famous for their rotundity
\nJovial, conniving and high fiving
\nAll belly laugh with great profundity
\nDrinking Two Buck Chuck, jumping and jiving<\/p>\n

Shaking like Santa\u2019s bowl full of jelly
\nHappiness dominates their attitude
\nRolling over laughing from top to bottom
\nDancing with more jiggles in their belly
\nLeeway given plenty of gratitude
\nThis time around mirth finally gottem<\/p>\n

THE FIRTH OF MIRTH<\/strong><\/p>\n

No albatross necklace to strangle joy
\nAs ships homeward bound drop heavy anchor
\nSix months aboard a Gulf oil tanker
\nBouncing down the gangplank comes sailor boy<\/p>\n

Tough guys on the dock have themselves a laugh
\nWhile a gaggle of geese honk directions
\nTo golden eggs a few miles away
\nNear changes promised before elections<\/p>\n

Smiling surfers paddle to a buoy
\nLife guards crack jokes with those beached on the shore
\nMallards wade in muck with mute merriment
\nHaving just flown in from East St. Louis
\nNo one can say say this trip has been a bore
\nJoking and jerking around, days well spent<\/p>\n

MONKEYS OF MIRTH<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mocking ourselves and then mocking all fools
\nRoad rage daily in a commuter rush
\nPlying tactics learned in jungle gym schools
\nHigh jinks emotions pour out in a gush<\/p>\n

Choice after choice we make without thinking
\nLike flowers blooming too early in Spring
\nGrowth strong enough so smiles stop sinking
\nIn the swing, delighting doing our own thing<\/p>\n

Rocking and rolling, riddling with a goof
\nLaughing about what might have been, could be
\nFools on a hill and fiddlers on a roof
\nSure as shootin bout what should always be<\/p>\n

Jesters back then and now crowning a jerk
\nKings of funny things take our mind off work<\/p>\n

IN THE MOUNTAINS OF MIRTH<\/strong><\/p>\n

Happy with all these for more mirth I cry
\nIn the high desert a beautiful morn
\nTaking a real quick cold dip in a stream
\nAssured the picnic will have some sweet corn
\nSome fresh cooked fry bread at its table place
\nSome ladies show up proudly trumpeted
\nHiding imperfections with make up base
\nTheir tattooed biceps all barbell pumpeted
\nArtsy tie dyed T-shirts on our backs
\nFat jolly old timers having our fill
\nNot bothered yet by stomach gas attacks
\nAs freedom of thought enables good will
\nHappy with all these for more mirth I will stay
\nTill death comes in\u00a0these mountains where we play<\/p>\n

THE DEARTH OF MIRTH<\/strong><\/p>\n

The poetry of mirth is never dead
\nWhen rodeo clowns cavort in the sun
\nHoney bees buzz around a sticky bun
\nAnd a be bop boom box beats in your head<\/p>\n

Aristophanes flicks frogs off his boot
\nA chorale of mimes in mute mockery shout
\n\u2018Zip a dee doo dah\u2019 in case there\u2019s any doubt
\nPirouettes and pratfalls make their point moot<\/p>\n

The poetry of mirth hollers out its song
\nTo a melting snowman in a\u00a0March front yard
\nAs a zephyr wind blows winter blues away
\nJonquils and \u2018Johnny-jump-ups\u2019 can do no wrong
\nMardi Gras brouhaha parades big tubs of lard
\nRight past hilarity towards April Fool\u2019s Day<\/p>\n

*yes, it is \u201cdearth,\u201d meaning scarcity or lack.<\/em><\/p>\n

A haiku in your pocket<\/strong><\/p>\n

As we come toward the end of April, past William Shakespeare\u2019s birthday, my thoughts turn toward some poets readers might find interesting.<\/p>\n

In no particular order, check out recent U.S. poet laureates Kay Ryan and Billy Collins. Check out American cowboy poets Gail Steiger and his grandpa Gail Gardner, Baxter Black, Wylie Gustafson, and Don Edwards.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t miss American women poets Emily Dickinson (read a biography of her life), Edna St. Vincent Millay, Shirley Parker, Nikki Giovanni, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and of course Maya Angelou. Irish poets William Butler Yeats, Seamus Heaney, and Gabriel Rosenstock come to mind from over the pond and from the old sod. Spanish poets Lorca, Neruda, Borjes, and Jose Marti will give you a flavor of contemporary Spanish writers. Chinese Tang Dynasty poets Li Po, Tu Fu; Ch\u2019u Yuan (2nd century A.D.), and the late Ming Dynasty poet Ch\u2019en Tzu-lung will reach out and touch you from their ancient perspectives.<\/p>\n

For 21st century poets some of my personal favorites are Dr. Seuss, Ai Ling Lee, Spoonie Gee, and Joey Connolly.
\nWho\u2019s the best? Get expressed! It is you baby, all the time! You are what\u2019s takin\u2019 place!<\/p>\n

You\u2019re the queen of outer space, you\u2019re the king of everything, since time began, you what am!<\/p>\n

Write, read, and enjoy some poetry today.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u201dGet your motor runnin\u2019, get out on the highway, looki\u2019n for adventure, whatever comes your way\u201d\u2014Born to Be Wild.<\/p>\n

HAIKU IN YOUR POCKET?<\/strong>
\nfor Thursday
\n\u201cpoem in your pocket day\u201d
\nfor sures day<\/p>\n

HAIKU IN YOUR HEAD?
\nPOEM IN YOUR POCKET DAY – NOT DEAD
\nHASH TAG FRIENDS INSTEAD<\/strong>
\nnot sure whether to send an elegy or rune
\nsend a Tweet or some kind of Twitter
\nit need not be bling or glitter
\nperhaps publish in the Saipan Tribune
\nsilence all that cell phone clamor
\ntry and get them to read a paper
\nskip some social media glamor
\nexperience a legit mind shaper<\/p>\n

HAIKU IN YOUR POCKET?
\nNEED NOT SHOCK IT
\nOFF LIKE A ROCKET<\/strong>
\nlook in some book – save face
\njoin the intelligent human race
\nlet your dreams reach into space
\nfar from negativity
\ndefy all that relativity
\ngrovel with reality<\/p>\n

HAIKU IN YOUR BRAIN?
\nCAN\u2019T REALLY COMPLAIN
\nNEED NEVER WANE<\/strong>
\ncan\u2019t come up with a rhyme
\ntry one some other time
\nlisten to church bells chime
\nas the ancient poet asked
\nfor whom the bell tolls?
\nit tolls for thee, and me<\/p>\n

HAIKU COMING OUT?
\nSIMPLE TWIST AND SHOUT
\nIT\u2019S WHAT LIFE IS ABOUT<\/strong>
\nnow in the mood for
\na little more metaphor
\nsay that\u2019s right for sure
\nhow about a simple poem
\nwrite of love and happy home
\njust let your thoughts roam<\/p>\n

HAIKU IN YOUR MIND?
\nTHREE LINES TO GET BEHIND
\nSTAND THE TESTS OF TIME<\/strong>
\n\u2018get up and boogie\u2019
\n\u2018boogaloo down Broadway\u2019
\nskip what naysayers say
\ndon\u2019t let them have their way
\nget down on your knees and pray
\nit is another bright and shining day
\nhip hip hooray! hip hip hooray!<\/p>\n

HAIKU GETTING THROUGH?
\nYOU NOW KNOW WHAT TO DO
\nWRITE ONE. YOU CAN TOO.<\/strong><\/p>\n

(Joseph B. Connolly)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

April is National Poetry Month, a monthlong, national celebration of poetry established by the Academy…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[21,766,850,57],"class_list":["post-33645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-life-and-style","tag-life","tag-mardi-gras","tag-north-pole","tag-united-states"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33645"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33645\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}