NowComment
Document: Invite Print Info
More
Properties/Access Dates Add to Document Analytics Report Fullscreen (hide top links) Download & Export Options Tag Document Embed in another web page Document Web Page
2-Pane Combined
Comments:
Full Summaries Sorted

Lansing Sidewalk Poetry

Author: Eight Lansing Poets

“Mi Pueblo,” by Cruz Villarreal

Old town, my town, bound by the Grand River,
 the Río Grande,
 lined with walkways that welcome strollers, bikers,
 and rainbow families.

North town, my town,
 El Norte de Lansing

Lot 56 / Cesar Chavez Plaza, Brenke, the ladder for fish,
 pools that peacefully gather its dwellers

they link me
 to its sidewalks and fiestas
 its fishing poles and laughter

Old town, my town, bound by grand people
 La Grand gente de mi pueblo.

“A Nod to Robert Busby,” by Therese Wood

Feel the hum of the beat
 pulsing up through the street?
The vibrational sound of
 the jazz all around?
The verve and the jive makes you feel
 so alive.
Take a look around, this is Old Town.

Take a stroll, hear the blues,
 see the art, try a brew,
 relax and enjoy all the
 magic to be found
 then
 take a look around–this is Old Town.

“Layers,” by Rebecca Payne

Beneath it all, the river
made its bed and told us where we’d be.
You on this side, you on the other.
Green followed the river,
 stopping to uncurl its tendrils.
Then came the critters,
 creeping, swimming, flying.
First nation people paddled in
to hunt the deer, the turkeys, the fish,
 showing thanks by barely leaving a trace.
Settlers arrived next,
pulling factories behind.
They plotted the grids, laid the laws,
 planted schools, groceries and homes.
Now, sounds of hustle and swoosh
overlay the birdsong.
Smokestacks send a daily dusting of soot.
Kids on their way to get a pop
 kick a bottle off the bank.
A bag billows up, swirls and dips,
is swallowed by river’s current,
 ever moseying along.

“To the Poets Who Gather Here,” by Grace Carras

(with thanks to the Poetry Room
 and the Robin Theater)

this is for you,
 who overcome the trembling
 dance of your own pulse
 to blossom in the stage light.
 you, who dig your roots in deep
 and sprout from rock bottom.
 go forth and devour, you
 conquerors of concrete,
 who put the we in weeds,
 you brilliant bouquets of breath;
 i’ve seen you carry explosions
 in your mouths.
 you hungry poets,
 i’m in love
 with the shrapnel of your bravery,
 with the way you become the light
 that you need to grow.

“1611 E. Kalamazoo St.,” by Nancy Knox

Lettuce ladies laugh
 as basket bauble-ed ballerinas
 rehearse with vegetable violinists.

Streetware sirens sing
 chocolate
 tomato-ed tamales.

Sidewalk gypsies stir
 spring caldrons
 mirroring
 Wednesday’s
 wonders
 at
 Allen Street Market.

“Sidewalk Dreams,” by Alan Harris

this sidewalk admires
 the rookie’s stride
 and shares with all that pass by
 that big league dream
 that dream which reminds us all
 that this is only the beginning

“Shiawassee Street Bridge,” by Nan Jackson

Who knows the shapes
 Of all the bridges over time
 Built to cross the river here?

Felt more than seen, inflection points
 Where the sidewalk starts to slope
 Less steeply upward,
 Graceful curve to the summit
 High above mid-river,
 Past concrete balustrades
 That replicate the shape of carved stone.

Years ago I stood on the eastern bank,
 Looked up at the underside
 Of a bridge that used to stand here,
 Wondered why it rose to its high point
 Right above my head
 Far from the middle of the Grand.

There once were train tracks here.
The trees whispered—
 High cargo along the bank,
 Low cargo on the river.

“The River,” by Jan Shoemaker

The generations
 rise and fall
 and resurrection
 is in the cards,
 though it takes
 a wider self
 to see it.

The river
 is faithful:
 the river gives
 old bones
 new blood.

DMU Timestamp: April 22, 2019 18:22





Image
0 comments, 0 areas
add area
add comment
  • Join an existing conversation — click the “Reply” button of the appropriate right pane comment
  • Start a new conversation on an existing area — Double click on the existing highlighted area or its comment balloon
  • Define and comment on a new area — Draw a box around the desired area by clicking and then holding + dragging your mouse
Start a new conversation about the image as a whole (no specific area) — click here
change display
hide comment areas
hide comment balloons
help
Video
add comment
  at current time
  at a different time
on whole video
help

Quickstart: Commenting and Sharing

How to Comment
  • Click icons on the left to see existing comments.
  • Desktop/Laptop: double-click any text, highlight a section of an image, or add a comment while a video is playing to start a new conversation.
    Tablet/Phone: single click then click on the "Start One" link (look right or below).
  • Click "Reply" on a comment to join the conversation.
How to Share Documents
  1. "Upload" a new document.
  2. "Invite" others to it.

Logging in, please wait... Blue_on_grey_spinner