National Poetry Month, Day 30

For today, the last day of April, I have this poem, "The Last Kiss," which I heard on Tracy K. Smith's Showdown podcast back in October. It starts off sadly, but then there's a burst of "Where there's life there's hope" cheer at the end - and that's certainly welcome in these discouraging days.

Last Kiss
by Jane Ebihara

First, in your seventies and alone, you read that those who
count such things say the average person kisses for a total

of two weeks in a lifetime. And you realize that your two weeks
was up some time ago. Suddenly there is kissing everywhere

Here's the rest.

I managed a post each day in April, sharing at least one poem in the middle of all the grimness. And I enjoyed the progress of the Progressive Poem, ending today with Michelle Kogan, who out of nowhere produces a banjo and performs the whole thing! Thanks, friends - let's do it again next year!

1 Donna Smith at Mainly Write
2 Irene Latham at Live Your Poem
3 Jone MacCulloch, deowriter
4 Liz Steinglass
5 Buffy Silverman
6 Kay McGriff at kaymcgriff
7 Catherine Flynn at Reading to the Core
8 Tara Smith at Going to Walden
9 Carol Varsalona at Beyond Literacy Link
10 Matt Forrest Esenwine at Radio, Rhythm, and Rhyme
11 Janet Fagel, hosted at Reflections on the Teche
12 Linda Mitchell at A Word Edgewise
13 Kat Apel at Kat’s Whiskers
14 Margaret at Reflections on the Teche
15 Leigh Anne Eck at A Day in the Life
16 Linda Baie at Teacher Dance
17 Heidi Mordhorst at My Juicy Little Universe
18 Mary Lee Hahn at A Year of Reading
19 Tabatha at Opposite of Indifference
20 Rose Cappelli at Imagine the Possibilities
21 Janice Scully at Salt City Verse
22 Julieanne Harmatz at To Read, To Write, To Be
23 Ruth at thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
24 Christie Wyman at Wondering and Wandering
25 Amy at The Poem Farm
26 Dani Burtsfield at Doing the Work That Matters
27 Robyn Hood Black at Life on the Deckle Edge
28 Jessica Big at TBD
29 Fran Haley at lit bits and pieces
30 Michelle Kogan at moreart4all

Just because National Poetry Month is over doesn't mean you should abandon the poetry. Keep reading it; it's good for you! I'll keep posting it on Fridays, and reading it all year long.