Great Poetry Reading Day

Today is Great Poetry Reading Day! This holiday celebrates all of the fantastic poetry and poets out there. Poems are words written to express an idea or emotion with imagery and metaphors. Poetry is believed to predate literacy, and all of the oldest written works are in poetry form.

There are many different types of poetry, all unique in their own way. Four popular kinds of poems are ballad, free verse, haiku, and epic. A ballad is a narrative poem that explains a story, made up of four-line stanzas, in which the second and third lines rhyme. A free verse poem has no rhyme scheme and no specific length; it is a free-form poem to write as the poet wishes. A Haiku is a poem focusing on nature, with three lines- 5 syllables on the first and third lines and 7 syllables on the second line. Lastly, an epic is a long narrative poem that tells the story of a heroic journey.

Poetry is an impressive and beautiful type of literary work. Celebrate today by reading some great poetry, throw a virtual poetry reading party, or try writing a poem of your own!