POETRY FRIDAY

A valentine poem by one of my all-time favorite poets (and writers) Naomi Shihab Nye.

"A Valentine for Ernest Mann"

Naomi Shihab Nye

You can't order a poem like you order a taco

walk up to the counter, say, "I'll take two" 

and expect it to be handed back to you

on a shiny plate.

Still, I like your spirit.

Anyone who says, "Here's my address, 

write me a poem," deserves something in reply. 

So I'll tell you a secret instead: 

poems hide, In the bottoms of our shoes,

they are sleeping. They are the shadows

drifting across our ceilings the moment 

before we wake up. What we have to do 

is live in a way that lets us find them. 

The rest of the poem is here.

POETRY FRIDAY IS AT BIG A little a