Poem in Your Pocket

So my mom, who is a teacher/school librarian, emailed AND texted me to inform me that today was Poem In Your Pocket Day. It's also Queen's Day and some crazy guy who got laid off drove his car into a crowd of spectators in the Netherlands. But, anyway, in honor of Poem in Your Pocket Day (and also because -- let's face it -- I wasn't about to post something original today anyway) I thought I would share a few of my favorite bite-sized poems (all by American authors, coincidentally).

This one I first read in the anthology from the creative writing class I took in college

We Real Cool
by Gwendolyn Brooks

THE POOL PLAYERS.
SEVEN AT THE GOLDEN SHOVEL.

We real cool. We
Left school. We

Lurk late. We
Strike straight. We

Sing sin. We
Thin gin. We

Jazz June. We
Die soon.

And then there's the famous non-apology by William Carlos Williams.

This Is Just To Say
by William Carlos Williams

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

And this one's a little longer, but why not include a little Emily Dickinson?

I heard a Fly buzz – when I died –
The Stillness in the Room
Was like the Stillness in the Air –
Between the Heaves of Storm –

The Eyes around – had wrung them dry –
And Breaths were gathering firm
For that last Onset – when the King
Be witnessed – in the Room –

I willed my Keepsakes – Signed away
What portions of me be
Assignable – and then it was
There interposed a Fly –

With Blue – uncertain stumbling Buzz –
Between the light – and me –
And then the Windows failed – and then
I could not see to see –

I found all these poems (and more) at poets.org. Now if only I could remember/find this cool poem I remember reading about how black men landed on the moon first (on the dark side of the moon) and about being subjected to scientific examination. Grrr, it's going to kill me...