Drawing the Chicken 15: The Art of Noticing

and why I am doing the 30/30 poetry challenge

Every April, thousands of poets around the world attempt a ridiculous challenge: Write 30 poems in 30 days. When I tell any not-poet (and, let’s be honest, many poets too) about this exercise, they usually look at me with a mix of concern and confusion: Isn’t poetry supposed to be meditative, drawn from deep wells of feeling, rather than a mechanical ex…