WORLD POETRY DAY: March 21 each year is set aside to celebrate one of humanity’s most cherished forms of linguistic and cultural expression, which all people can identify with — Poetry!
The earliest collection of poems recovered thus far, surfaced with the “Epic of Gilgamesh” some time during 2,000 B.C., according to NationalToday.com. Although there are different types of poetry which have trended during different eras, from rap lyrics to sonnets, the core purpose remains the same — to explore the human condition and invoke powerful emotion/s through words.
Even the most basic poem has the power to stir dialogue amongst individuals and on World Poetry Day we recognize that poetry can be found within the history of each nation of the world. We also celebrate the fact that poetry can bring humanity together under shared values and a common consideration of one another.
The recognition of this day was proposed and adopted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) during its 30th General Conference held in Paris, France in 1999. This year will be the 22nd celebration of World Poetry Day, since the first official celebration of World Poetry Day was held on March 21, 2000.
Since poetry has the ability to change the world, inspire others, mend bonds between people and create harmony, consider writing a poem today, or talking about your favorite poem or poet. For some inspiration, or to reflect on the day by reading poetry from authors around the globe vsit https://poets.org/world-poetry-day-reading-poetry-around-globe, or explore the following hashtag trends on social media: #WPD, #WorldPoetryDay, #PoetryDay.
