Reading poetry is a wonderful way to infuse your mind with the beauty of words.

For me April as National Poetry Month is a good reason to get back into my old habit of reading a poem every night before going to sleep. The anthology Poem A Day, volume 2, is my favorite book to read poetry every day. Many of its pages are dog-eared from bookmarking poems I liked.

I appreciate especially that in this book each poem is accompanied by a short bio of the poet.

Here’s my favorite poem from Poem A Day, Volume 2, by Chidiock Tichborne (1558? – 1586).

He had the misfortune of being on the wrong side of the fence during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. This elegy made me realize that I love poems with a back-and-forth rhythm, aside from the fact that poems that capture the dark side of the human condition always resonate with me. Feel free to post your reaction or a favorite poem of yours in the comment section.

His Elegy
Written before His Execution

My prime of youth is but a frost of cares;
My feast of joy is but a dish of pain;
My crop of corn is but a field of tares;
And all my good is but vain hope of gain:
The day is past, and yet I saw no sun;
And now I live, and now my life is done.

My tale was heard, and yet it was not told;
My fruit is fall’n, and yet my leaves are green;
My youth is spent, and yet I am not old;
I saw the world, and yet I was not seen:
My thread is cut, and yet it is not spun;
And now I live, and now my life is done.

I sought my death, and found it in my womb;
I looked for life, and saw it was a shade;
I trod the earth, and knew it was my tomb;
And now I die, and now I was but made:
My glass is full, and now my glass is run;
And now I live, and now my life is done.