National Poetry Month - Gabriela Mistral

Gabriela Mistral

April 7, 1889

I'm not a big fan of poetry and usually only end up reading it when required for a class. I had a choice of many poets and actually found it quite interesting researching which one I would read for my Nobel Literature class. I'm discovering an appreciation for poetry.   It's only fitting that the person I chose was born during April which has been deemed National Poetry Month.  


Gabriela Mistral is the first Latin American to win the Nobel Prize in Literature for her poetry books.When Hjalmar Gullberg, Member of the Swedish Academy, presented the Nobel Prize for Literature to Gabriela on December 10, 1945, he said: "From her maternal hand this poet gives us a drink which tastes of the earth and which appease the thirst of the heart. It is drawn from the spring which ran for Sappho on a Greek island and for Gabriela Mistral in the valley Elquis, the spring of poetry that will never dry up."

Those Who Do Not Dance

A crippled child
Said, "How shall I dance?"
Let your heart dance
We said.

Then the invalid said:
"How shall I sing?"
Let your heart sing
We said

Then spoke the poor dead thistle,
"But I, how shall I dance?"
Let your heart fly to the wind
We said.

Then God spoke from above
"How shall I descend from the blue?"
Come dance for us here in the light
We said.

All the valley is dancing
Together under the sun,
And the heart of him who joins us not
Is turned to dust, to dust"

I'll be sharing more of her poems throughout the month, periodically.  There is also a National Poetry Month Blog tour going on right now hosted by Savvy Verse and Witt.  Be sure to check out all the bloggers who will be posting daily and highlighting various poets and their works.

Do you have a favorite poet or poem?