Today is the first national Poem in Your Pocket Day which is pretty self-explanatory, really. As the Academy of American Poets puts it “The idea is simple: select a poem you love during National Poetry Month then carry it with you to share with co-workers, family, and friends on April 17.” The poem in my pocket today is admittedly a little morbid, but I do love it: it’s “The Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson which praises the courage of the Light Brigade in the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War. Here’s the famous third stanza:

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley’d and thunder’d ;
Storm’d at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.

So find a poem, print it out, stick it in your pocket, and share it with others!