April, in the City

Hi Teens, it’s Young Adult Librarian Shelda here.

April always feels like a secret being told in two languages at once. It's National Poetry Month, where we play with words, and Earth Month, where we care for our home. In NYC, nature isn't some far away forest you need a car to find. It’s scrappy, it’s persistent, and it’s honestly kind of the main character.

I wrote this poem for the dreamers, the bus-riders, and the sidewalk-watchers.

The City’s Secret Song
The sidewalk cracks are opening wide, 
With tiny emerald worlds inside. 
While sirens hum a frantic tune, 
The flowers wake beneath the moon.

The trees perform a magic trick, 
With leaves that sprout so green and thick. 
They change their coats while we’re asleep, 
With leafy secrets they must keep.

The ancient, pink magnolia tree, 
Is older than the honeybee. 
Before the wings, before the buzz, 
She bloomed exactly as she does.

She stands so steady, soft, and tall, 
Beside the brick and garden wall. 
A silent ghost of long ago, 
Amidst the city’s ebb and flow.

The pigeons on the gravel roof, 
Are living, breathing, feathered proof, 
That once we walked here hand-in-hand, 
With all the creatures of the land.

It’s in the Bronx, the wide and green, 
In Brooklyn parks, the felt and seen. 
In Queens, where golden shadows lay, 
And tag is played at close of day.

It’s in the wind, a salty breeze, 
That whispers through the city trees.
It weaves itself through transit lines, 
And tangles in the ivy vines.

So when you’re on the B43, 
Look out the window, try to see
The city isn't just a place,
It’s nature’s soft and hidden face.

Poetry can start anywhere, and New York City is full of places to begin. If you look closely, you might find inspiration in a tree you pass every day, a bird on the sidewalk, or the view from a bus window. Nature here is layered into the city, waiting to be written about.

To celebrate both Earth Month and National Poetry Month, I made a small zine with prompts to help you write your own NYC nature poems. You can use it on your own, with friends, or anywhere you find a moment to notice something new. All April, you can pick one of these up at Greenpoint Library, or print one using this link. 

And if you have never made a zine before, you can learn how to fold one here.

Happy Earth and Poetry Month, teens!