This is a simple treasure that appeared late last summer in the front yard of a house three blocks from ours. It excited and enchanted me in such a powerful way that I looked forward to getting to that spot every time we walked the dogs.
Isn't the design simple yet ingenious? Unfortunately, the box was not adequately waterproofed and when the rains came last autumn the last poem of the season got drenched. The people who run the poetry stand left it there all winter and it was an interesting study in what the ravages of winter can do to a piece of paper that is held in place for months. I longed to see it cleared out and hoped the people who built the poetry stand didn't leave the soggy, unreadable poem there due to disappointment in their design.
We walked the dogs last night and, hurray! the poetry stand has been cleaned up, the old poem removed. Nothing new is there yet, but I am full of anticipation for what may come. I love the idea so much that I wish to have one in front of our house too. What a fantastic way to share with neighbors, and what a great enhancement to summer break for kids to read and ponder poetry on the street.
Can you imagine neighborhoods full of individual poetry stands? I can, and it makes me smile.
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