National Poetry Month: Exploring Out Your Window and Out of this World

Do you remember the first time a poem changed your life? (Don’t worry if it hasn’t happened yet, keep reading this blog!) While I didn’t know it at the time, the Library of Congress facilitated my first memorable moments with poetry. When Billy Collins served as the Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry from 2001 to 2003, one of his signature projects was Poetry 180. He selected 180 poems—one for each day of the average school year—for students to read. Luckily, my elementary school’s librarian was a big Billy Collins fan, so though we were below the high school grade levels that the poems were selected for, we began each day by listening to a poem as part of the school’s morning announcements. Thanks to this Library of Congress program, I developed and carried a love of poetry and words through my entire life.

This April, as we celebrate National Poetry Month, we encourage you and your family to have a personal encounter with poetry facilitated by the Library of Congress—similar to my encounters with it as a young person! When the Library’s new education center The Source opens in winter 2026, families will be able to listen to Library collections together in the space, including poems that have been recorded as part of Library projects. Until then, we wanted to share some favorite poems and activities, utilizing Library of Congress resources, that you can participate in from home.

Exploring Out Your Window- Poem

It’s no surprise that one of my favorite poems is set in a building that I love—the Thomas Jefferson Building, right here at the Library of Congress! When Elizabeth Bishop served as Consultant in Poetry (later Poet Laureate) for the 1949-1950 term, she had an office in the Jefferson Building that overlooked the Capitol.  She  wrote a poem inspired by what she saw from this office, aptly titled “View of the Capitol from the Library of Congress.” Years later, in 1974, she had an opportunity to read the poem at an event at the Library—which was recorded as part of the Library’s Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature.

You and your family can listen to Bishop share her inspiration behind this poem, starting at minute mark 3:20 in the recording below. At 3:52, she begins the poem.

Listen to the poem once, then take a moment to discuss with your family. You could ask the young people in your life what they hear or notice, or you can try discussing the following questions:

• What words do you notice? Do you hear any repetition or rhyme?
• What happens in the poem? What events are the speaker describing?
• Notice the “boom, boom” at the end. The word “boom” is an onomatopoeia, meaning that it’s a word that imitates the sound it’s describing. In the poem, what is making the “boom” sounds? How clearly can the speaker hear them?
• In her introduction, Bishop describes the poem as “frivolous”—meaning it’s unimportant! But other poetry scholars believe the image of the military band that cannot be heard is a metaphor for a critique of the military. Ask your children what, if anything, do they think the poem is about. Based on what they hear, do they think the poem has a deeper meaning?

Exploring the Universe-Poem

Our current Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry—through the end of the month—is Ada Limón. As Limón has been Poet Laureate since 2022, she’s had ample opportunity to create projects that shine a light on poetry in the public eye. She’s written poems that have been installed on benches in seven national parks, and organized an anthology of poems that respond to the natural world.

But one notable project, “In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa” is out of this world—literally! Limón wrote this poem in 2023, and it was engraved on the side of the Europa Clipper, a spacecraft mission  that will explore Jupiter’s moon. The poem has since been turned into a beautifully illustrated picture book , and we look forward to sharing the book and a recording of Limón reading the poem in The Source.

Even before The Source opens, you can still explore this poem online. Encourage the young people in your life to read the poem out loud, then listen to Limón read it.

Some questions that you might ask as you explore the poem together:

• What words stand out to you when you read the poem out loud? Make a list. Then, listen to the recording of the poem. What words stand out when Limón reads it? Are those the same words, or different?
• The poem uses words to create evocative images which describe mysteries both on Earth and in outer space. What are some images that the poem uses?
• The poem refers to humanity as “creatures of constant awe.” Ask your children what they think this might mean. Can they share any examples from their own life?
• What does the structure of the poem look like? Are there stanzas (groups of lines)? How many lines per stanza? Do sentences and ideas overlap stanzas, or does each stanza contain one distinct thought or idea? Why do you think the line and stanza breaks are located where they are?

Finish by reading the poem out loud one more time. Reflect with your children: is it different reading the poem out loud after talking about it? Why or why not?

Exploring the Universe- Writing Activity

Ask your child to think of a place in the natural world—either in space or on earth—that inspires them. Encourage them to look up photographs, read reviews, or visit the place if possible!  Ask your children to write down or list sensory details of the place. What feelings does the place invoke? If they think a creative constraint might help shape their writing process, encourage them to reflect on Limón’s evocative phrase, “creatures of constant awe”. What feeling does this place that they’re writing about evoke for them—is it awe, or something else? Encourage them to use that in the poem.

Conclusion & Further Resources

Elizabeth Bishop, Billy Collins, and Ada Limón are just three poets that you can learn about with your family. If you’re feeling inspired, check out these resources:

• Many posts on Minerva’s Kaleidoscope encourage young people to write. Check out these posts here!
• Discover more of Elizabeth Bishop through this research guide and a bibliography of her works at the Library of Congress.
• Learn more about Poetry 180 and other past poet laureate projects at this link.
• Learn more about the Poet Laureate program here.
• Read this blog about a young poet who performed at a presidential inauguration at this blog post about Amanda Gorman.