Midwest Mary

Attention poets and poetry lovers. I have a book you’ll want to read. We Are Poetry. Lessons I Didn’t Learn in a Textbook by Kym Gordon Moore is one of those books that delivers on several levels.

Kym is the author of books and magazine articles. She has extensive experience as a public speaker on the topics of marketing, community service, workshop facilitating, special event coordination, and public relations. She’s also an advocate for education and literacy.

As a fellow blogger, Kym is well-known for her insightful and timely posts. Please look at her site, From Behind the Pen, which you can find on her website. Like me, once you follow, Kym, you’ll want to call her your friend.

I recently read Kym’s book, We Are Poetry. Lessons I Didn’t Learn in a Textbook, and was greatly impressed. Open this book and you’ll find the large format and 300-page count to be very readable. Kym Gordon Moore is relatable and so is her writing style. You will move along with her through the book enjoying every moment.

About half of the book offers background information on poetry and the perceptions of poetry through history, encourages more poets to come forward especially those from different ethnicities and races, states the benefits of writing poetry including an opportunity to express emotions, and expands on creativity.

The other half of this book contains Kym’s outstanding poetry. She illustrates how to build a poem and the importance of the Wow factor. In addition, she includes formats for different styles of poetry using her original poems such as the intoxicating “Wine Aficionado.”

Page by page, I bonded with Kym and the diverse emotions prompted by her poetry. I have many favorites including “Mom’s Cup,” “We Are Poetry,” and “Enchanted Butterfly.” “Twelve Days of Poetry” is too delightful to share with you here. You need to read it in the book.

And perhaps my favorite is the devilish “They Call Me Addiction.” Following is the third of four stanzas from this poem.

I’m the doctor who makes you feel good
I make promises I keep
and I’m always on standby
I comfort you when you’re stressed and depressed
I understand you when others don’t
I got everything you need
so you can always come back for more
alcohol, sex, drugs, whether legal or illegal
food, toxic relationships, and anything you desire
I’m compulsive, obsessive, and you can depend on me.

If you’re interested in We Are Poetry, I’m sorry, but I’m not loaning out my copy. You’ll have to purchase your own. This is a book I’m keeping. I want to refer back to its wealth of information and reread Kym’s superb poetry.

©Mary K. Doyle, 2025