Each day this week, the Book Review will present a new essay, game and series of celebrity readings designed to help you memorize a delightful poem: “Recuerdo,” by Edna St. Vincent Millay. Today we hear from Gilbert Cruz, editor of the Book Review. Dear readers, Welcome to the final day of the Poetry Challenge. You made it! Do you feel that warm feeling inside your chest? That’s the feeling of accomplishment. I know because I’ve had that same feeling for days. Memorization has never been one of my strong points, and I was initially intimidated by the prospect of learning Edna St. Vincent Millay's verse. But a few days of reciting “Recuerdo” over and over again, playing our games and watching some celebrities read the poem aloud have permanently inscribed it on my brain. And as A.O. Scott writes in today’s essay (check it out and then try your hand at the full poem in our Day 5 game), “Now that you’ve learned the poem by heart, you can start to forget it.” That doesn’t mean this journey we’ve taken together was all for naught, of course. It only means that whether you remember the entire thing forever, or just a couplet or two, “Recuerdo” is now a part of your life. Maybe you’ll even try memorizing another poem. I know I will. Let us know what you thought of our poetry challenge — shoot a note to books@nytimes.com. We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. Love this email? Forward to a friend. Want this email? Sign-up here. Have a suggestion for this email? Then send us a note at books@nytimes.com.
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