Imagine taking a stroll down the street and discovering pieces of poetry etched in the sidewalk, whisperings words of wisdom. This type of poetic graffiti can be found in St. Paul, Minnesota and is a public art project designed to “engage resident’s artistic impulses and bring more poetry into everyday life.” The project is being funded by a local public art group, organized by Marcus Young, St. Paul’s Artist-in-Residence. Young invited local poets to submit their work, limited to 150 characters, and the 20 winning poems were stamped on fresh sidewalks throughout St. Paul.
Some example verses:
“I reach for a name, a song, a tune, and memories scatter,”
“A little less war, a little more peace. A little less poor, a little more eats.”
Young likes to think of the sidewalk panel as a blank page, and he says “If you accept that the sidewalk panel is a blank page, then we have this amazing book… that is our city.”
Whisperings 