This April marks the 30th iteration of National Poetry Month , which was launched by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996. To celebrate, the Literary Hub staff will be recommending one great poem to read every (work) day of the month. We make no claim (except when we do) that these poems are the “best” poems in any category; they are simply poems we love. The only other thing they all have in common is that they are available to read for free online, so you can enjoy them along with us. The internet is still good for some things, after all. Today we recommend: Patricia Smith’s “10-Year-Old Shot Three Times But She’s Fine” I’ve said it here before, but Patricia Smith is truly one of America’s great poets (and I mean that in a capital G, all-time, hall-of-fame kind of way). I could have chosen at random from her 2025 National Book Award-winning collection (new and selected) The Intentions of Thunder for this series, and I would have been happy.…