Ever since Pablo Neruda and T. S. Eliot climbed on the roof with me last year, I’ve been looking forward to another fun celebration of Take Your Poet to Work Day. Now, the day is finally here, and my poets have already been having loads of fun—smart fun.
They got into my tool bag, for starters. Everybody wanted to go.
Sylvia Plath, Langston Hughes and John Keats were quick to call their favorite seats.
Emily Dickinson and Rumi found comfortable spots in my tool belt.
And W. B. Yeats wouldn’t stop playing with the tools.
When you work from home, sometimes you take your breaks out in the garden. The poets were climbing around, messing with the tomatoes, nibbling the strawberries, and then Neruda, well, Neruda found the hot peppers.
I turned my back for one second. Just one second, I’m telling you. I don’t know how it happened, but the poets threw themselves a big dance party between the celery and the sweet yellow peppers.
So, today’s the day. Poets are out and about in workplaces around the world. Get on the stick (I mean, put your poet on one), and join us for all the fun. Here’s how:
1. Pick up our free Take Your Poet to Work Day coloring book, choose a poet (or choose them all), and take him or her to work.
2. Share our Take Your Poet to Work Day infographic on your favorite social media channel
3. Tweet us your poet at work. Snap a photo, mention @tspoetry and use the hashtag #poettowork.
LW Willingham
Latest posts by LW Willingham (see all)
- Take Your Poet to Work Day: W. S. Merwin - July 10, 2019
- Take Your Poet to Work Day: Mary Oliver - July 4, 2019
- Take Your Poet to Work Day: Tony Hoagland - June 26, 2019
L. L. Barkat says
Neruda in the hot peppers. Of course! (I laughed out loud when I read that 🙂 )
And the poets’ dance? Priceless.
Maureen Doallas says
Animated dead poets! And Neruda in the peppers is classic. Love.
Donna says
I love the way Sylvia Plath looks all “NOBODY better think they are getting this spot, mmmhmmm!” Of course I can see her point because it seems that Langston Hughes and John Keats are definitely eyeing plotting some sort of switch! GULP!
LW Lindquist says
And Donna, you saw how Adrienne kind of slipped behind her? I think Sylvia said something that might have upset her. 😉
Donna says
Oh dear. Well, I hope they work it out. Adrienne seems fine – she drove me to the grocery and said nothing of the incident. 😉
SimplyDarlene says
I was visited early this morning by a reporter. Yeah, it’s true. Word on Poetry street is reaching news stations across the nation.
http://simplydarlene.com/2014/07/16/take-your-poet-to-work-reporter-on-the-scene/
LW Lindquist says
How fun. 🙂
Marcy Terwilliger says
SimplyDarlene,
I just finished reading your take-your-poet-to-work. Now we need to add writing screen plays to that notch on your belt. Very lively, entertainment at it’s best, made me laugh. Pictured the entire affair in my mind. Good grief girl, you are full of it and I can’t wait to read more.
Charity Singleton Craig says
Gosh, why can’t all of life be this fun? I love this so much. The animated picture of the dancing poets just about did me in! Love this.
Maureen Doallas says
Neruda’s in hot peppers
Clearly hiding from his hon.
Keats sneaks in among the chocolates,
Dares Rossetti to have some fun.
On Tumblr, Rumi’s running late
But Teasdale’s there along with Yeats.
Their dance goes on, the music swells
And Rich dives in, in the moment dwells.
Old Eliot’s Cheshire cat just gloats
Poor Emily’s so still, her dash denotes
How Plath is jazzed by Langston Hughes
On Poe, alas, that raven lands anew.
We come now to an end of sorts
Haiku the masters to nature resort.
All thirteen poets to work did go
What work they did not one soul knows.
Maureen Doallas says
I changed the last line of third stanza to:
On Poe, alas, one raven lands anew.
Marcy Terwilliger says
Neruda had a love for onions too. He often walked to the market stands for onions for his soup. These poets on sticks remind me of paper dolls cut from a Sears Catalog that I played with as a child. The poets went with me to the garden today to check out the newest baby pumpkin and see how much it had grown. Something got into the compost bin and ate on my second baby so I left the poets out side to guard the pumpkins.
Callie Feyen says
Thank you so much for the free coloring book, and for the loads of inspiration you provide throughout the year! Here’s what my daughters and I did for Take Your Poet to Work Day:http://www.calliefeyen.com/?p=2731