Things That Start With "P"

Probably I need to clean my house, but fortunately it's a Slattern Day in the blog, and one devoted to "things that start with 'P'" as it says above. It's Pi Day, for instance, 3/14/15, and I'm celebrating with a public domain photo of apple pie and baseball stuff on an American flag, distributed by the United States Department of Agriculture.

It's also the big weekend for celebrating St. Patrick's Day--a saint who starts with a 'P'--with parades and green beer. I was at two train stations this morning, leaving Springfield as the town was setting up for its parade ("parade" starts with a 'P') and arriving in Normal as it was setting up for its own parade.

I was in Springfield to judge the state poetry recitation competition for Poetry Out Loud, a wonderful program supported and administered by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Foundation in Chicago, and the state and local arts agencies that help set up Poetry Out Loud in schools and communities.

What a joy and what an honor, and what talent and dedication from the students. They each prepare 3 poems--at least one from before the 20th century--and have to be ready to recite any one of them in Round 1, Round 2, or Round 3 (the final round, now reduced to 5 finalists). The poems are provided in an online and print anthology available to all. I was so impressed with the students, the program, and the fabulous organization of the state competition. Gorgeous poems, beautifully spoken.

Now I want pie.