National Poetry Month 50 State Tour: Wall of Shame

It's Tax Day.

If you pay taxes, and I know you do, demand your poetic rights!

If you live in a Wall of Shame state, wouldn't today be the *perfect* day to tell your governor you want a poet laureate of your very own?

Here it is...your poetic Wall of Shame. These are the 10 states who do not have a poet laureate. (Notice the bench in front of the Wall of Shame is empty. Vacant. No one is in the bench position. Kind of like these states and poetry.)

National Poetry Month 50 State Tour

Wall of Shame

1. Poo on Pennsylvania! You have great gifts in Gerald Stern and Sonia Sanchez, but no poet laureate. That's just plain lazy.

2. Naughty New Jersey your poetry community is thriving and you're home to the largest poetry festival in the country. So, you were burned by a bad poet laureate experience. Get over it.

3. Cankerous Connecticut, saying your poet laureate position is vacant makes it sound about as appealing as an airplane toilet.

4. Miserly Massachusetts lists its poet laureate as: Position does not exist. Like, "We can't be bothered."

5. Oh, no! Ohio, like Mass, just can't be bothered to have an official state poet.

6. Mad-brained Michigan has had one poet laureate in its history. Edgar Guest was the only worthy poet your state has ever produced? Seriously?

7. No way, Nevada. You haven't had a poet laureate since 2007. What gives?

8. Noisome New Mexico. I'm getting tired of these states with "Position does not exist." Actually, poet laureates do exist. In 40 other states. What's your problem?

9. Artless Arizona -- artless is a good word for a state that doesn't honor poetry through a poet laureate position.

10. Hapless Hawaii, just because you were the last state on board, I'm not forgiving you. Joy Harjo is a resident of your state. Give her a call, would ya?!

Thanks to Pete Levin's page for some of these great, Shakespeare inspired insults.

As long as I'm venting, I'd like to have a word with the Poetry Foundation and the Academy of American Poets.

You'd be shocked at how many state poets laureate are not represented on these important websites. I, for one, was flabbergasted

If a poet has been deemed worthy by an entire state, that person deserves a bio on your venerated site. Discuss amongst yourselves while we get back on the road. Our National Poetry Month 50 State Tour continues.