National Poetry Month!

Today, April 1 is the first day of National Poetry Month.  In honor of this important month I am posting a poem I wrote a couple of weeks ago.  I will try to post more poems during April – no fooling!  I encourage everyone to look up the National Poetry Month website at

http://www.poets.org/national-poetry-month/home

Join the celebration – write a poem; read a poem; take a poetry workshop.  Poetry is fun; it is free and wonderful – it will inspire you and give you new ideas.  Poetry might help you understand a personal dilemma or work through a difficult or sad situation.  Poetry has done this for me and for many others throughout history.  I am certainly not a brilliant poet but writing and reading poetry is always satisfying.  Recently, I went to a free poetry writing workshop given by the Washington State poet laureate, Elizabeth Austen.  It was held at the public library in Poulsbo Washington and attended by about twenty folks from around Puget Sound.  Ms. Austen is giving these workshops in every county in the state of Washington this year.  Part of her pledge as the state’s poet laureate is to make poetry accessible to everyone.  To this end, in addition to the free workshops, she is posting Poetry Prompts everyday during April at her website

http://wapoetlaureate.org

Look this site up too and write a poem. 

My mother was in the habit of reading a poem every morning before she got up.  Her ‘Poem of the Day’ book was always at the ready on her bedside table.  What a wonderful way to start the day.  It only takes a couple of minutes to read a poem but it can be the best minutes of the day.  Try it.

My poem today is about retirement.  In two months I will have been retired for two years.  Wow.  I feel as if I’m just getting started on a whole new life.

Retirement

Retirement means making my own granola.

I've left behind

The glamour and the drama

Of the working life,

Like so much baggage  

Abandoned on the bench

At a long forgotten train station

For anyone to take or mistake

For what they lost or found?

I don't miss it nowadays

I'm finding out

Everything is new.

I want to give you my granola recipe too.  It is very easy to make even if you are not retired!  I modified it from a recipe that was originally published in the New York Times and given to me by my friend Linda.  My husband and I eat this granola almost every morning for breakfast.  We add plain yogurt, a little milk and some sort of fruit.  It is delicious and healthy whether you are retired or rushing off to work.  Enjoy!

Almost time to make more granola! 

Joanna’s Modified Olive Oil Granola With Pistachios

6 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 1/2 cups raw pistachios, hulled - sometimes I can't find raw ones so I use roasted salted nuts and reduce the added salt

1 cup raw pumpkin seeds, hulled

1 cup coconut chips - baked and unsweetened

1/2  cup pure maple syrup 

1/2  cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, combine oats, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, coconut chips, maple syrup, olive oil, salt, and cardamom. Spread mixture on two rimmed baking sheets in an even layer and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until golden brown and well toasted.

2. Let cool to room temperature and transfer granola to a large airtight jar.

3.  Serve with fresh plain yogurt; Fresh fruit – berries, sliced apples, oranges – all are nice; and milk.

Based on a recipe courtesy of Melissa Clark as per Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company

I don’t know if you’ll be able to write better poetry if you make and eat this granola but I know you’ll enjoy it and feel healthy and happy when you are gobbling it up.  Maybe you can write a quick poem while you eat breakfast tomorrow.  After all that might be more enjoyable than reading or watching the news.