A Poetry Path Opens in Rocky Hill in Celebration of Earth Day

A small Green Acres field behind the borough hall in Rocky Hill now has poems posted along the pathways, thanks to a local citizens' group.

"THE TREE AND THE SKY" by Tomas Tranströmer. Photo courtesy of Susan Bristol.

"There seems no better way to give a gift to the community at this time than the creation of a poetry path," says Susan Bristol, a Rocky Hill resident and local architect. "You can enjoy this path at your leisure, and socially distance yourself, while walking and reading a bit of environmentally inspired poetry."

The Rocky Hill poetry path project was launched on Earth Day, April 22.

"It is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day in America, and April is National Poetry Month," Bristol says. "We are also in the midst of a pandemic, which shuttered our libraries and other public buildings, and cancelled our Earth Day celebrations and environmental clean ups. In appreciation of our planet Earth, open spaces, and Green Acres… we developed this project."

The Poetry Path Project is located along the trail in the meadow behind the Rocky Hill Borough Hall on Montgomery Avenue in Rocky Hill. It includes these works:

"THE TREE AND THE SKY" by Tomas Tranströmer

"SPRING" by Edna St.Vincent Millay

"THE DREAM" by Wendell Berry

"EARTH DAY" by Jane Yolen

"SPRING POOLS" by Robert Frost

"MORNING" by Mary Oliver

April is National Poetry Month. Established in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets, its purpose is to increase the attention paid to the art of poetry, to our poetic heritage, and to poetry books and magazines.

For those who are self-quarantined or who are not able to walk the pathway, celebrate Earth Day by creating a Poet Tree.

The POETRY PATH Project is citizen produced and made possible by a small grant from Rocky Hill Community Group. This project is in memory of Jane McClary Oakley (1956-2019), who was a Rocky Hill resident who co-founded the Rocky Hill Community Group. Oakley was a writer, producer, activist, and community volunteer.

"This gift to Rocky Hill is given with the hope that our library becomes sustainable into the future and that its resources and inspiration expand beyond its walls and into our community," Bristol says. "With thanks to those who helped make this project possible."