Allan Wolf - The Greatest Nation on Earth

The Greatest Nation on Earth
by
Allan Wolf

I’ve climbed the heights of Everest,
one hand behind my back.
I’ve seen the sights of Asia sitting
high atop a Yak.

Fed Antelope in Africa
and kissed a crocodile
as I was rafting all alone
along the river Nile.

I’m quite the global traveler.
I’ve been to every land:
China, England, Russia, Rome,
New Guinea, and Sudan.

New Zealand and Australia,
Yugoslavia and Perth.
Canada and India.
Dallas and Fort Worth.

But although these wondrous places hold
a certain fascination,
the greatest nation in the world
is. . . my own imagination!

I visit remarkable, marvelous lands
and never leave my chair.
I only have to read a book
to feel as though I’m there.

So hop aboard the Word Express.
It’s leaving from the station.
The only ticket needed is
your own imagination.

Whatever are you waiting for?
The adventure starts today.
Just take a book down from the shelf
and. . . you’re on your way.

© Allan Wolf. All rights reserved.

---

While I think Allan Wolf's poem would be great any day, week, or month, I'm particularly happy to share it today, kicking off National Poetry Month and 30 Poets/30 Days here at GottaBook. The spirit of the poem, not to mention the wordplay, the twist on the title, and the rhythm and rhyme, gets me jazzed up about poetry, books, and more. Good times!


I've never had the pleasure of seeing Allan Wolf - a National Sonnet Slam Champ, a musician, and the former educational director of Poetry Alive! (a poetry performance troop) - in person, so I've had to make due with "just" his words on the page.

And what I'm consistently struck by, whether going back to The Blood-Hungry Spleen (yes, I refuse to add the rest of the title because I am gleeful when I speak of a children's poetry book called The Blood-Hungry Spleen) or reading his most recent work, the novel in verse (and more) The Watch That Ends the Night, is that his words are remarkable. I mean, he can create characters that move me as he weaves fact and imagination together to make stories from the Titanic come alive OR he can slay me with a punchline and I'll go gladly along with him truly not caring what's coming next because I trust that it'll be worth the trip. And that gift of his is one reason why I'm so happy to have him there today kicking off 30 Poets/30 Days.

Allan's started us off in grand style. Tomorrow... The Northern Lights by Kalli Dakos! For more on 30 Poets/30 Days and ways to follow along, please click here.