 It is so wonderful to have you here. My name is Rachel Sonachala, I'm the program and development coordinator here at the library, and I also organize a poem city. We have several month long sponsors for poem city, National Life Group Foundation, Vermont Humanities Council, the Hunger Mountain Co-op, the Poetry Society of Vermont, and who am I missing, George? Oh, well, the library presents Poem City. The VCFA, thank you Judy, you have it in your hand. And from the president of the Poetry Society of Vermont is here, George Longenecker, and we're happy to have him here. He is also on the Poem City planning team, so he's really important to us. And I'm just thrilled to welcome you all back for our second annual title wave poetry reading, and I'm thrilled to work with Walt Ward, who is the facilitator for Shockwave Studio. And what's great, and what's really nice is that it's both a writing program and art program, and looking at your paintings over here is just marvelous. And many of the paintings remind me of spring, and that's what I needed today. So please help me welcome Walt Ward. More than just art and writing, that's just one part of its small but mighty program. We work on community integration, we work on life skills, learning how to prepare for a job, learning how to sweat to the oldies. We believe that you can't have life skills without new skills. It's important to feel a sense of confidence, and writing and poetry is just, that's the root of finding the taproot to life. And I've had this conversation with you guys every morning probably for the last two weeks. The first thing I think of, I was seeing it, it's really nice to see you guys for real and to be able to try to express what I want, because I wake up and I'll be like, do I tell a poem, do I tell a story, or this and that. And this morning, finally, I was like, just shut up. That's amazing. And I'm going to have Lewis and Rachel, they're going to kind of emcee the scene. Just I want you to take away that little scenes, like to me that I want to express, is seeing Mindy sitting and apart from the learning network, reading her poem by herself out loud, Frankie and Lisa just working on this flashcard system, all these little victories that I've been blessed to witness for the last few weeks. Last few months, actually. So I have a little poem I like, and it's by William Needs, my favorite, let the beauty love be what you do. And the beauty I love is poets and artists with heart and without pretension, not one smidgen of pretension. And I love to introduce the shockwave poets and artists, please enjoy. Yes. I think I'm not this dating. So you're dating? Absolutely. Yes. I'm going to read my poem, and it's nice of you guys to come here and talk. Talk's not cheap anymore. I'm going to read one. Mask, red ball. The Mask, red ball. People of all kinds dressed in masks of all kinds. Dance under the moonlight. Sing out loud. Men wear tuxedos, and women wear ball gowns with sequins all over and fancy shoes. Men wear shoes for men and women. Women wear sparkles. Men wear fancy shoes with leather. They dance to classical music. A handsome man dancing to classical music, light being on the moon. Think how you would dance, dance under the stars in the moon. Poetry. Poetry. This poem is on page 15 of your book. Okay, Scott. Thank you so much. No. You can't want to leave. I was actually going to read the book now. But I'll take it anyway. Good evening. I am honored to share my poem with all of you tonight. My name is Scott Brownie, and I use a communication device to speak. Thinking thoughts in my mind happens just like everyone, but my connection between my mind and the wire moves me, and that is why I tie it. I feel grateful and free when I have the keyboard at my fingertip. I will now read my poem titled, Love Truth. Love Truth. Tiny dots of light sweeping over my list of minds. It is dawn now. Birds suck feathers flimmer in the sun. I am slowly waking this body that is not mine. This body has an over-cold organism. It moves on its own without my mind. But like those who are free from the organism, I still love that morning light. What's this? What's this number? Five, three, and four. Oh, okay. Right there is Connor. I'm painting a swing for your bow. Uh-uh-uh. Uh-uh-uh. Okay. Okay. Uh-uh-uh. Uh-uh-uh. Uh-uh-uh. Uh-uh-uh. Disaster of voted. Sorry about that, baby. Keep smiling with that. Alright. My name is Connor Cleveland. Please listen to my words and begin learning the I.L. Chaotic. Beautiful life. My mind is sorrowing. Heart pounding. I see the light. It guides me to the depths of my soul. It's happy but sad. Angry but living. Dancing but sitting. It's torn between love and hate. What is my life and what is it coming to? A disaster or a fairytale. That is the beauty of the unknown. Not knowing what life may become. I see the light. I'm no longer dreaming. Life is chaotic. Life is beautiful. Lovely city. Sister, know my love for you. Keeping lovely soul. Please do hear these words and feel their truth. Take tenor me, carry me. Keep some to yourself. Only you do have my heart. Please do hear these words and know their truth. Love. Escaping to my safe world. The soft wind blows the red and orange maple leaves. The ting is sapping, the buckets fills the air. Squirrels jam around around me. I'm safe from the whirl. He comes from a distant house between me. But I'm not distracted. I'm living. Bugs scurry around in the fallen branches. It smells like mud and dew but refreshing. I'm safe from the whirl. Steps crumpling on the leaves. Breaths slow and deep. I'm happy. I'm safe from the whirl. Dumbness. On page fourteen of your book. This is one of Frankie's pen names. It's in the summer. That pettus crosses every threshold. That's a hope. A dorm. A castle. A wave. A wave. Like a poetry. All are in the living. Back and forth. A stitch. This will. Upon our castle. Well. The people. They'll say. There's no page without it. There's no page without it in the next one. Excuse me. Is that? Is that? Okay. I don't like to dance like that. Thank you, Rachel. What's that? I'll put the microphone in. My name is Arthur. Here's a poem I wrote. And recorded called. Dragon's poem. Now, no one's afraid of dragons? It's the dogs. It's short written text. Okay, this one. Thank you all for listening to my poem. Good job. Back to the shockwave. Find me or air questions. And we got many more projects coming up. So please keep in touch. Okay, sorry, Rachel. No, I'm fine. What did the poet say to Luke Skywalker? That's not what he's saying. Oh, Rachel. Metaforged me, would you? Announce before I, in the 60s out of here at Helen. My name is Helen Faglitz. And my picture is a very relevant, a very relevant, and then I write revolvings. Because they are so pretty. And we're going to advise them, too. We're going to like put showers. And we're going to like scrolls. Are they going to come in? Or are they going to be animals? Even cats and dogs. Who do you got? Okay. Okay, we're cruising right along. So I thought I'd read a poem from a woman named Becky who couldn't make it today. So I'm going to read it for her. Because we are cruising here. We get a lot of poetry. Okay, this is called the incense by Becky. I like incense. I like to watch the smoke rising through the air. It looks as if it is dancing. The shape is mesmerizing. Pretty colors. Blue, gray, white. It smells nice. Triggering memories of long gone days. Pretending to cook on the toy stove. Did I turn it on? The wood stove at our home was just cozy warm. The train wheels taken off my bike and playing with my dolls. Where did they go? Walking in the woods, leaves and pine needles crushing under my feet. The pungent smell rising to my nose. Up next. Up next in Lewis. No. I'm sorry. I'm not in Lewis. I'm in Lewis. No, Lewis is introducing. Yeah, that's why he's up next. Kara is next. Music of spring. You hear the music of the birds singing and chirping. You hear the music of wind blowing through the trees. You hear the music of people talking, laughing and being happy. Spring music is hearing those squishy what sounds of walking in the mud. Spring music is hearing the dogs running playing and barking. Spring music is hearing kids playing basketball on the outdoor court. There are many sounds of spirit on the screen. It's almost like everything is waking up from a long cold winter nap. Next up is Mindy. Yeah. Yeah, Mindy. Oh yeah. These guys got me so stoked on my mind's butter. This is some of Arthur's Dragon work. We're studying a book on masks. We're doing a great theme on masks. We will be showing at the Berry Opera House in June. Mask theme and venture theme and creating ritual in everyday life. And this is Rachel Springman here. That's Ashley. He's Ashley Arwin, very special at home. She's called a mother. God created a mother who did make her a good mother. He made her an awesome mother. She needs to be loved and endorsed. A mother is full of love. I love her with all my soul. She's not just any mother. She's a mother that loves what comes her way. She helps me face my fears and be the person I am today. She's not just my mother. She's my friend. I enjoy having her as a mother. I enjoy having her as a mother. Next up is Wendy. This is whoop by Paul. If Paul could be here, he would do this better. He would do this better. I am the pink and white wolf. It wings like a bat. I walk to the cemetery. I do a magic white wolf dance. I bellow bells like flowers. I feel like the three stooges. I paint a car pink and white. Honk honk. I want you to paint too. I want you to paint a hat. I want you to paint a brace. Pink and white. You need money to eat hot dogs with hot sauce. Next up is Elizabeth. This is Elizabeth. Over page, page seven. He makes to come to a busy family salon. This is Elizabeth. He could have many women who could be in this paper. She goes so much nice to him. He is one person. And so he's finished it. And so he takes me to the lobby. This is a poem about Robert Bannon. Mr. Robert Bannon passed away in February 2002. He was 86 years of age. He came from Salem Mass. He moved to Vermont in 1946. He was born in Ireland. He had open and closing things. First met him in 1987. I had a shirt made of him. He wore a suit and tie to a wall. He played his own records on the show. He called the police and fire departments. Sent each other Christmas cards. He had made voices of other people. Like to joke about the weather. Called his kids to wake them up for school. I got his autograph from him personally. He took me out to eat. I was sad when he passed away. He played John Schneider songs. I miss him a lot. I love the red sock. I could not wait for him on the radio for the next day. He had a sense of humor from Mississippi, Virginia. Tomorrow to spring. And this is a green like a grass. And it goes does spring a spring like a grass? When you stomp on it it feel like you're mold along sound like a cloud. The flowers are all colors when you snow them. Liking yarn it feels nice. When you touch them sound like a bee buzzing. The sun is yellow and bright. When it shines when you look off you can smell the air. I feel warm. The ground is brown like when touch them with your dirt feel like when you shove trouble sound like a heavy foot stomp. The water is blue splashing like the sky. When you go into the swimming pool it feels warm sound like splashing. The mud is up in it. The carrot is orange like when you kill them. It feels so hard when touch them sound like crunchy. The food is red like an apple. And it feels like you bite into it. It's crunchy. The strawberries feel so squishy sound like chewy. The animals all different like a person. When they work on all four legs and they feel so soft sound when they meow bark tweet. The rock is grey when you pick it up peel it so hard and you can sound like when the tree is tall like a splinter. I feel so light fresh. Thank you guys very much for coming. I would just like a couple closing words from our Phyllis Ceder, Mayor Kay, and I'd also like to thank the director of CDS who came to visit Julie Martin. First of all I am so proud proud of each and every one of you. Proud of your creative inspiration and the ability to go deep into your soul and share the wonder of who you are. Right? Right. And I want to thank each and every one of you for coming and hearing them because they are you and we need to honor who they are and the gift that they give each one of us every single day and there's more to come right guys? Oh yeah. Right. And I also wanted to thank my staff because they are brilliant at working with all these incredibly talented people all the staff at CDS that every day tirelessly for not a lot except the gift of love that we experience together. I just want to thank you all for the hard work that you've put in and the support that you give to our folks. This is brilliant and I'm really glad I'm here. I love you. Yes. Okay. A few last words from the poets themselves. Helen. Everybody over time had a great time and I made you cheer up great poems that's a lot of fun please write. We had a great time. It's definitely not forward Walter it's going to write the stories and you better keep up and write poems because it's always nice. This is great. Thank you. I picked it up and went to school then then Walter Ehring and Mr. Chomar Thank you. I just, I came up here to say keep on writing the poetry and it's kind of fun you can use like imagination in your head and you can focus and have strong energy that's what you need. Thank you very much.