April is National Poetry Month. Some people are writing a poem a day. Others are carrying poems in their pockets. I can't promise I'll be able to write a poem every day. But what I can promise is an increased awareness and mindfulness of the daily poetry and beauty all around me.

I like writing poetry because the medium is more conducive to capturing feeling and images--the little threads of daily existence, sometimes overlooked in the larger fabric of my life. These fleeting thoughts, images and feelings don't fit well inside a blog post or journal entry. But I love the exercise of jotting images down, especially if I can rhyme the words!

I've written a few poems this past week--short little things tapped out on my InstaQuote app. I've posted them on my Instagram (@elizabethesther) and thought I'd share them here, too. Would you like to join me in a month of poetry? Jot down some everyday words, images from your day, the feelings you felt. Let yourself relax into the words. No striving. No pressure.

To get started, might I suggest a little inspiration? I simply LOVE this book, "Poemcrazy: freeing your life with words" and have pulled it out again this past week to refresh my wonder.

And now, a few of my  poems from this past week.

April 2: "Tomboy" (this is a tribute to one of my 6 year old twins)

April 3: "Laundry Day for Thoughts" (I do so much laundry. I began wondering: what if we could wash our thoughts like we wash our dirty clothing?)

April 5: "Daring, Thirteen, You" (written in honor of my son's 13th birthday)

April 5: "First Communion" (written in honor of my daughter's upcoming baptism)