FREE
LITTLE POETRY
SPRINKLING SEEDS OF POETRY ONE LITTLE LIBRARY AT A TIME
FREE LITTLE POETRY
We love the little community libraries that pop up as tiny surprises at neighborhood houses, in parks, even at coffee shops. It’s the joy of discovering them even more than the books they hold that really moves us!
One cold, grey, rainy January day on Nantucket, Massachusetts, we were snugged up by the front window of Handlebar Coffee, and we spotted a little community library right by their front door. Thus “Free Little Poetry” was born.
The idea: Handwrite one of our original Poartry Project poems that seems to most capture the vibe and “unseen behind the seen” of a place where we find a little community library, and leave it there for readers to discover and enjoy.
FREE LITTLE POETRY’S EPIC JANUARY ROAD TRIP!
We hit the road for 2 weeks in January to place Free Little Poems in Little Free Libraries all the way from Vermont to Texas. Our goal: Build loving worlds through words with little poetry surprises to delight library visitors in celebration of the love of arts and storytelling that connects our One Humanity. Where did we put them?
PICTURE GALLERY OF SOME OF THE SPOTS
McDowell Nature Preserve
Charlotte, North Carolina
McDowell Nature Preserve
Charlotte, North Carolina
New Orleans City Bark Dog Park
New Orleans, Louisiana
MOD Coffee
Galveston, Texas
MOD Coffee
Galveston, Texas
Glassell School of Art
Houston, Texas
Woo-hoo!
The first time we’ve actually seen someone reading Free Little Poetry. This photographer came up literally less than a minute after we placed the poem at Houston’s Glassell School of Art and stayed a good long while with it. Wonderful to know we’re actually touching lives with our loving words!
THE POEMS
Natural Foods Co-op | Newark, Delaware
Bookland
READ 'BOOKLAND'
Am I dreaming?
Is this a dream?
I feel like The Little Prince
on his tiny planet
with the magical
red flower.
If there is such a thing
as heaven, this is it.
Worlds of beloved books
brought to life.
Treasured dreams
tumbled into from the
bedtime story page
to the stardust world.
Young lives outdoors
in these living books
before the phone screens
take over.
The elixir of happiness:
book stories, plus nature,
plus young lives
coming alive to the
life of the world.
A leaf held aloft
with the joyful cry,
“This is my favorite tree!”
McDowell Nature Preserve | Charlotte, North Carolina
Secret Hokku
READ 'SECRET HOKKU'
Morning rush is sun
Rising over rock vista –
to kiss dark away.
Ancient boulders crouch
Clinging to majestic cliff,
Poised to take flight.
They wait still, so still –
When no one looks, they take wing
And tell their stories.
Sun, I fly with them
As orange gently tears dark
And color deepens.
Last dark gets darker –
Cold night soft-banished by fire
Lighting mountain top.
Deep glow turns to blaze
As valley unfolds herself –
Boulder flings off cliff.
New Orleans City Bark | New Orleans, Lousiana
Harmonic Kingdoms
READ 'HARMONIC KINGDOMS'
Can man create perfection?
Almost.
In an urban center,
Asia finds its way into
the hearts of kingdoms.
Cicadas buzz + chaff
to the background chorus
of water gurgling over rock.
Bold squirrels laden with gold
approach to trade their wares.
Dragonfly speedsters draw
unknown geometries in
peripheral sight.
Black swallowtail beauties
dance duets in mid-air,
climbing + diving
among perennial pines.
And always the music
of the water from
every side.
Greening the greens of
every hue dotted with
sheening bronze pine
needles.
The breeze moves gently –
the barest whisper.
And strollers actually breathe.
Inhaling the stillness,
the balance,
Rock,
Water,
Green,
Insect,
Squirrel,
Breeze,
Music,
People,
Harmonic kingdoms as one
singing symphony.
“Kim’s Library” | South Austin, Texas
Twilight Peak
READ 'TWILIGHT PEAK'
Exhaustion blurring our vision,
we almost drifted off the road
as we rounded the turn
on first of its kind.
A glowing peak,
so tall,
so filling the sky,
so almost out of the range of our sight,
so still, so quiet, so alive,
it literally caught the breath
and kept it there.
Glowing electric white
against the darkest, deepest blue-purple
the world could see,
Twilight Peak surprised
in its total solitude.
Hidden in the curves,
stealth over Durango,
invisible on the map,
so unexpected, it made me tear.
As we stopped in wonder
in a dangerous way
on a curve that no one would
travel that late at night,
A shooting star –
massive, almost in front of the car,
electric bluish-white,
filling the window –
literally seemed to hit the road
not 30 feet away.
Impossible to understand or process.
In all our travels,
we had never experienced
our breath stolen away.
Words failing.
MOD Coffee | Galveston, Texas
Origin Song
READ 'ORIGIN SONG'
Mama swell,
wrap us in your
shawl of stars.
Papa earth,
plant our feet in
solid ground.
Sister stream,
sweep us in the
slip of your stones.
Brother fire,
forge us in the
light of your flickering face.
The embers’
trace across
the sky.
Burning blaze
of remembered
nights.
Embroidered in
silvered trails
of galaxy pavanes.
Etching our
history along
the vault of time.
Arching our breath
through the hearths
of heavenly halls.
Glassell School of Art | Houston, Texas
We Wish | What Is
READ 'WE WISH | WHAT IS'
WE WISH that our mothers had taught us to
Be in Our Heart,
that we had been able to witness in them
the truth that
Compassion Transforms,
that we could discover in our relating
what could happen
If We Both Said Yes,
the warming womb of hearts twinned in
Tender Loving Care.
WE WISH that our fathers had given us the
freedom to
Be Surprised,
the space to
Be Curious,
the confidence to
Say Hello,
the power of living love if we had ever seen them
and our mothers
Hold Hands.
WE WISH our schools had taught us to
Listen to Understand,
had gifted us with the art to
Start a Conversation,
had the wisdom to guide us to
Ask a Question not just to hear ourselves talk
or to prove how smart we were,
but to gain the grace to
Listen a Little Longer.
WHAT IS is the reality that
There is Another Way – the
Here and Now,
Above and Below,
As Above, So Below –
A truth so basic,
yet so many would say,
“I Never Thought of It That Way.”
WHAT IS is that we came to learn for ourselves
through the travels of living life outside
the walls that
It’s the Little Things
that can reveal the great and grandeur.
WHAT IS is that we grew to know for ourselves through
wandering childhood deserts to
Err on the Side of Love,
to guide our being with the empathy of asking,
Is it True? Is it Necessary? Is it Kind?
in our thoughts and words and actions.
WHAT IS is that we witnessed the change in light when
we were brave to
Smile at Someone Who Might Not Smile Back,
that we came to be the spiritual balm whose
song is
“May All Things Be Happy and Free”,
like beautiful birds on a wire
who need not be named, so pure as to
be
Untitled,
singing the searching souls to the
Keyways
that let us in to
WHAT IS.
East Parkway Playground @ Overton Park | Memphis, Tennessee
Poem 4
READ 'POEM 4'
I always felt more at home when I wasn’t in America.
Citizen of the world –
Citizen of nowhere.
Try on languages
like bejeweled peacock masks sparkling in the light –
Sapphire blue, emerald green, autumn gold.
“Your job is to bring the world back…”
Maybe to someday be able to bring Truth back.
But home is home.
Neither out there nor in here –
but both.
A seed of light –
expanding and expanding –
building itself into a neverending song of Beauty.
WHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD IS FREE LITTLE POETRY?
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS THE LATEST FREE LITTLE POETRY?
NIQUETTE BAY STATE PARK
COLCHESTER, VERMONT!
It was a pretty dry summer, so when we finally had a day of rain, we happily pulled out our umbrellas and headed to an intriguing spot we had seen earlier in the season while kayaking as a dramatic storm was heading our way. Parts of Vermont look like Maine, with craggy cliffs of limestone that give it a more rugged feel than other parts of New England. Niquette Bay in Colchester is one of these areas. The rain had brought out all sorts of orange salamanders and orange mushrooms, but what really surprised and delighted us was the little community library at the trailhead and poems posted all along the trail!
NEXT STOP:
Buttercup Park
Uptown Chicago, Illinois
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS THE LATEST FREE LITTLE POETRY?
BOOKWORM GARDENS, SHEBOYGAN, WISCONSIN!
The high summer month of July took us to Chicago and our first-ever Pop-Up Surprise Poetry of Nature Walk. We had walkers come in and walk with us in real time via livestream from as far as Brisbane, Australia and New Haven, Connecticut. Where were did our surprise walk take us and – unexpectedly – Free Little Poetry? Back to Sheboygan, Wisconsin at the magical Bookworm Gardens! Can you imagine being able to step into a living version of your favorite scenes from beloved children’s books? Well, you can at Bookworm Gardens. You are welcomed by the Giving Tree when you pass under the magical arched gateway. Turn right, and you find yourself in a “Where the Wild Things Are” garden. Go a little further in, and you can snuggle into Pooh’s home in a tree stump. We should have anticipated that there would be a beautiful Little Free Library near the entrance in front of the Magic School Bus. On our walk, The Poartry Project created the new poem, ‘Bookland’, so what better Free Little Library piece to drop into the library.
NEXT STOP:
Colchester, Vermont
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS THE LATEST FREE LITTLE POETRY?
BREWSTER, CAPE COD, MASSACHUSETTS!
As Spring FINALLY landed towards the end of May, we were inspired to get some sea air before the summer crowds descended, so we headed to a new spot we hadn’t experienced before: the bay side of Cape Cod.
With miles of bikes trails onsite and the 26-mile Cape Cod Rail Trail running through it, we found ourselves at beautiful Nickerson State Park. It was a great visit with a gorgeous campsite in a practically uninhabited part of the park overlooking a lake, a dragonfly chrysalis that chose to emerge on our car tire, some of the best authentic falafel and home-fermented pickled veggies in the world at Abba Restaurant and a great natural foods market.
But the one of the best parts of the trek was discovering the wonderful community hub that is Snowy Owl Coffee Roasters with its bright red little library right out front featuring the Emily Dickinson poem, There is no Frigate like a Book. We left our poem from the inaugural Voicing Art Poetry Reading, Dawn Rises Over Vega , since Emily was writing about adventures to lands away.
NEXT STOP:
Pop-Up Surprise Location
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS THE FREE LITTLE POETRY?
HINESBURG, VERMONT!
Back in January, as the super-sub-zero temperatures were bearing down on Chicago, we roadtripped south in search of a little sun and warmth. We didn’t find too much sun or warmth! But what we did find was one of the coolest coffee shops ever in Birmingham, Alabama that happened to have a cute little in-house community library as an extra bonus.
Because the coffee shop was Japanese in design and featured many excellent Japanese green teas, we left a handwritten copy of our poem, “What Do You Think Of?”, which is a piece inspired by the artwork of Japanese artist, Yusuke Asai.
NEXT STOP:
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS THE FREE LITTLE POETRY?
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA!
Back in January, as the super-sub-zero temperatures were bearing down on Chicago, we roadtripped south in search of a little sun and warmth. We didn’t find too much sun or warmth! But what we did find was one of the coolest coffee shops ever in Birmingham, Alabama that happened to have a cute little in-house community library as an extra bonus.
Because the coffee shop was Japanese in design and featured many excellent Japanese green teas, we left a handwritten copy of our poem, “What Do You Think Of?”, which is a piece inspired by the artwork of Japanese artist, Yusuke Asai.
NEXT STOP:
Hinesburg, Vermont
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS THE FREE LITTLE POETRY?
SHEBOYGAN, WISCONSIN!
One of our favorite communities and creative spots in the world is Sheboygan, Wisconsin. It’s kind of under the radar with an interesting burgeoning arts and culture scene that centers around Paradigm Coffee & Music and the Kohler Arts Center. With some cool mid-century modern homes, a nice little movie theater, plant-based eats and drinks at Paradigm (as well as omni), a lakefront bike path and beach and the wonderful Kohler Andrae State Park Campground (yes, Sheboygan IS basically Kohler of Kohler Kitchen fame!), Sheboygan has everything we need to get inspired.
Paradigm Coffee & Music is such a center of the universe that owner, Kate, calls it “The Vortex”. In rural Wisconsin, it is an inclusive and welcoming community hub for people of all orientations, ages, ethnicities and interests. After not having been to Paradigm for a few years, Kate immediately recognized us when we walked in in January, and said, “Welcome back to The Vortex!” as if we had never left.
We highly recommend visiting Sheboygan and Paradigm, and of course, the little urban library next to the Children’s Museum on Main Street where we braved the super-cold to place our ‘True Story for Annie’ poem. It is a true story and an homage to the book, Accordian Crimes, by E. Annie Proulx.
NEXT STOP:
Birmingham, Alabama
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS THE FREE LITTLE POETRY?
LAKE BLUFF, ILLINOIS!
Some of the most fun free little community libraries are those that pop up in unlikely places or take some sleuthing to find. In January, we scheduled to meet a friend for lunch in Lake Bluff, Illinois up toward the Wisconsin border. Why? Mainly because we discovered a healthy cafe, Be Market, with lots of delicious-sounding plant-based options. (They did end up being delicious.)
Since we knew we were heading up there, we researched if there were any little community libraries in the small town, and – sure enough! – we found just a few blocks away from Be Market. Tucked behind a house at the head of a neighborhood walking trail, it was a little stealthy to find, which made it all the more sweet when we did locate it. It was completely charming!
NEXT STOP:
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS THE FREE LITTLE POETRY?
NANTUCKET, MASSACHUSETTS!
This is where it all started.
Cold weather, a wet bike ride, hot matcha, warm people and a window seat all combined to get the creative juices flowing. We’d noticed a little community library by the entrance of Handlebar Coffee when we were racking our bikes, and as we were sipping our matchas and thawing out our hands, the muse struck!
Since we trek pretty frequently, both locally and further afield, our library sighting on Nantucket sparked us to think of “building loving words through loving words” by leaving a handwritten Free Little Poem by The Poartry Project anywhere we find a little community library on our travels. We see it as sprinkling seeds of poetry one little library at a time.
We left ‘Leviathan’, a poem about a giant swordfish as a metaphor for existence, at the Handlebar Library. Then fate intervened when our ferry off the island was cancelled due to weather, giving us time to ride to our favorite little downtown pocket park close to the center of town by the Margaret Mead Observatory and leave ‘Leviathan’ there as well.
NEXT STOP:
Lake Bluff, Illinois
POARTRYPROJECT@GMAIL.COM
