Urban Poetry

Today's New York Times reports that the subway poetry, which has been present for fifteen years, is going the way of the dodo bird. I’m sure there are great quotes from history, science, and literature that deserve to be read, too, but I’ll miss the poetry. As a society, we don’t read or write much of it and as an individual I don’t either. My work haikus are the extent of my poetry creation in the last two years. I liked that this was one way it stayed present in the lives of New Yorkers.

M.T.A. Derails Poetry

By ROBIN POGREBIN
Published: April 30, 2008

Those poems on the subways are going the way of the No. 9 line — that is, coming to an end after 15 years. Poems may still be posted now and then, but mostly the quotations seen on subways and buses will pertain to a number of different subjects, including history, philosophy, literature and science. “We’re expanding the breadth of the program to include other areas,” said Jeremy Soffin, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. “Fifteen years is a long time. We had an opportunity to diversify things a little.” The content — formerly selected by the Poetry Society of America, which started it in 1992 — will now be determined by the Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Alice Quinn, executive director of the Poetry Society, said she would try to find a new sponsor, adding, “We’re going to try to keep poetry in the public eye.”

And just a little inside joke for Rena: You know, they killed the 9 train because it was notorious for skipping stops. :)