On another blog, I hope to post on poetry and poets throughout the month, since April is national poetry month. Some of those posts I’ll publish here and probably before I send them there. Yesterday, I said that if you want poetry that makes you scratch your head, sign up for the Poem-a-day by the Academy of American Poets. I admit that I thought the chosen poems would be a bit thick, if you know what I mean. So I’m pleased to report that the first poem out of the box is thoughtful and beautiful. Lee Briccetti’s “Sacred Heart” is available on the academy’s website.
“Even as a girl I knew the heart was not a valentine;
it was wet, like a leopard frog on a lily pad”
The poem meditates on a painting of Jesus with an exposed chest, showing his heart glowing within him. I may not understand Briccetti’s intent in “Sacred Heart,” which seems to be a plea for emotional or spiritual salvation, but I admire the lack of bitterness which I think I see in many modern poems.
The poem is in a collection called Day Mark, published in March by Four Way Books. Another poem from the book, called “Something Useful,” is published on their website. It’s a warm-hearted perspective on “the fabulous bread of your fortunate life.”
