1.  We get to hear a poem on RNZ National before the 2pm news every Friday (or noon) – like a poem bird call.
2.  We still get to read a Friday poem in a newspaper or monthly poem in a magazine.
3.  Making up poems with your children goes viral.
4. We get to read poems on buses and trains like you get in London.
5. Someone picks a page and recycles the words into a poem to send to someone else like a bunch of irises (yep reading-writing Robin Hyde this week).
6. Hundreds of poetry books get bought on Poetry Day so publishers big and small keep publishing this little species.
7. I read Sarah Jane Barnett’s fabulous poetry picks and follow her drinks match.
8. New Zealand poems get read in schools.
9. Children read poems in retirement villages.
10. I get to read all the new poetry books in my stack and share this week.
11. Poetry workshops are active with refugees, women’s refuges, prisons, schools, libraries, bookshops.
12. Some cafes have a wall poem.
13. Libraries have interactive poem features (like National Library’s origami boat).
14. On-line poetry activity continues to flourish like wildfire at The Spin Off and Pantograph Punch and other excellent sites.
15. We have mixed up citytownruralyoungoldnorthsouthshortlongedgyheartsmackingnervetinglingbody moving poetry events.
16. People make up poems in their head even when they think they can’t.
17. The Hard to find Bookshop stays in business because it is poetry gold.
18. Selina Tusitala Marsh shows young poets what poetry can do across the nation.
19. We have a national poetry festival that blasts all borders.
20. I get to have a long poetry lunch with good food and good wine and lots of poetry.

h  a p p y    p o e t r y    d a y

for SJB: