America the Poetic.

America land of freedom, Dreams, Root Beer and Poetry…

That is correct, April is America’s National Poetry month and if I may say so, it seems that this would be a great opportunity for Americans, with Children or a sense of humour, to make a purchase of my collection of poetry mentioned here, and it can be purchased here.

But that is enough marketing and attempted selling from me, I’d like to talk about America and American poetry to commemorate National Poetry month. I love America, it has to be said. I love America and Americans so much, that I married, and remain happily married to, one… Obviously I’m not going to love all Americans a country that size is not going to produce 100% wonderful people, but within my family and during my 5 trips so far to America I have never met one I didn’t like… Even the Barman in ‘Buddy Guy’s Legends’ who demanded a tip from me, I hold no grudges to, or the old woman who blatantly took a cab that I had stopped whilst in New York, I can but admire her nerve…

But I am digressing, I would like to talk about American Poetry… America has produced many of my favourite poets, there is the obvious influences, Ogden Nash, Theodore Giesel, Phyllis McGinley, Tim Burton, then there are the others, Edgar Allan Poe, T.S. Elliot, Dorothy Parker and many others… There are also many Humorists from America, whom I love, that have dabbled in poetry like, Garrison Keillor and Mark Twain. It is a dream of mine to go to America and read my poetry to Children there, something I would love to achieve sooner rather then later, but I can wait. One of my favourite places in America is the Barnes & Noble at the, ‘Arena Hub Mall’ in my wife’s native town of Wilkes-Barre PA. It’s a huge bookstore full of books and CD’s and there is a Starbucks there, what’s not to like? Many a time I have been deposited there, whilst my wife and her mother go and shop or some other activity that does not require me. I would love to spend a sustained amount of time there reading my poems to a, hopefully, receptive audience.

So although I do not live in America, and therefore it is technically not my Poetry month, I still wish all Americans a happy poetry month and I will in, essence, be celebrating Poetry and especially American Poetry this month.

And I shall finish with a little tale about America, me and one of my favourite American Poets… Whilst on a trip to New York in December 2004, I decided, as I was in New York, that I would try and purchase some Ogden Nash… Shockingly I went to about 8 shops and could not find anything by Ogden Nash, it seems that New York was Bereft of Ogden Nash poetry… How is this possible? One of many humorists associated with the great New Yorker magazine and he was not to be found anywhere… I even went into a Barnes & Noble and asked the store assistant who, had never heard of him and who when I asked if she would search, she entered in ‘Augden Nash’ into the search engine…

Hopefully there are many Americans enjoying poetry in USA this month and many New Yorkers given the opportunity of reading Ogden Nash…