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Poetry in Sidewalks
2021 Poetry in Sidewalk Selections
Winter’s ice pops and cracks.
The Mississippi snaps and breaks free,
thunders, growls, gushes, gurgles.
The river baptizes islands while
sun skitters like quicksilver through
cathedral arches of bottomland forest.
by Lisa Meyers McClintick
Hi there! It’s me,
Words in the concrete,
I appreciate you stopping to read;
And please enjoy your walk!
by Zoe Papalia-Beatty
When you see me and read me
You say Yes to possibility
Yes to imagination
Yes to poetry.
Keep your Yes as you walk on.
Let Yes become your guide.
by Brian Fleming
Feeling cracked?
Bumpy?
A little janky?
Don’t worry.
We love sidewalks
And they aren’t perfect either.
by Megan Mahowald
The Arts Commission would like to thank the volunteer panel of three poets from Central Minnesota's literary arts organization Lyricality who served as jurors throughout this process. All received poems were reviewed in a blind jury process by the panelists.

In 2012, the St. Cloud Arts Commission, along with the Community Development Division, implemented a program to coincide with annual City sidewalk repair. The St. Cloud Community Poetry in Sidewalks is modeled after 'Everyday Poems for City Sidewalks' created by artist Marcus Young for the City of St. Paul.
Each year, St. Cloud community members are asked to submit poems to be stamped into City sidewalks. From those submissions, 5-6 poems are selected to be made into sidewalk stamps. The poems are stamped into new sidewalks in various neighborhoods. The stamp lasts through the lifetime of the sidewalk and is ADA (Americans with Disabilities) compliant. Poetry in Sidewalks is funded wholly by the Arts Commission.
2016 Selections
- I'm not just pavement.
I am the runway for children's bikes,
The canvas for chalk drawings,
I am your pathway.
by Mariah Gordon - Be courageous as you follow your path
Be kind to others and be sure to laugh
For life passes faster as we get old
So protect that child inside of your soul
by Leah Stice - Here
Our
Memories
Eternal
by Lisa Henning
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- A poem in your pocket
art in your heart
a secret in your locket
a step makes a start
by Jacqueline Brooks-Yer - As your stroll upon this path
Share your smile and
Share your laugh!
by Leah Stice
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2015 Selections
These poems are stamped in the Seberger Park, Wilson Park and Raymond Park Neighborhoods.
- Make memories like jam,
Sweet and whenever you can.
by Elaine Schmidt-Voigt - I once met the mayor
And he had really cool hair
I shook his hand
It felt so grand
St. Cloud is in his care
by Sophia Hebert - A warm summer day with a gentle breeze
Sipping cold lemonade 'neath shady trees
On a wintery day in a cozy nook
With a pot of tea and a good book.
by Jean A. Peters
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- If I were a bee, I would kiss
the tender petal skins and drink
the nectar of lazy summer days.
by Mariah Gordon - Stop, don't read this.
The poetry is not here.
Poetry lives in the leaves;
In their rustle, In their veins,
Their texture whispers the wind.
Go now. Find your verse.
by Christopher Manar
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2014 Selections
These poems are stamped in the Seberger-Roosevelt Neighborhood.
- If you look at your feet,
You'll notice something profound.
At this very moment -
You, my friend, on this Earth round,
Are standing on top of the world.
by Augie Lindmark - It's okay to step on the lettering
or pass by without a glance.
It's also okay to stop and take in
the puddles in the punctuation
and the sunshine on each syllable,
and take just one minute
to enjoy one moment.
by Timothy Schaeppi - An interesting sign you see down below
A footstep away, intrigues you to know
What words set hard, tell my thoughts
Letters together mean more than naught
A merry stop this is, a walk's surprise
Will you seek where else they lie?
Now on your way, brief rest for you
Look further on for tales of new
by Lori Russell
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- Birds, the wind, and voices surround
Hear it all, a community bound
Stop to chat, while work is being done
Keeps all together, nestled as one
Constant motion; dads, kids and mothers
This neighborhood shares one another
Lively activity, till sun starts to fade
Lights inside shine, crickets now play
by Lori Russell - When looking down,
What do you see?
Ruby red shoes or witch's toes?
Perhaps an Alice that grows and grows?
Maybe a dragon with terrible teeth?
Or possibly a princess hiding beneath?
When looking down, what do you see?
Is it a you? Or maybe...a me?
by Tamara Wudinich
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2013 Selections
These poems are stamped along the neighborhoods of 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th St N.
- Along the graceful Mississippi
sits a charming granite city.
Festivals and music enliven the parks.
Historic downtown embraces the arts.
Saint Cloud. My home, my heart.
by Shannon Giffin - how do I gaze at the stars
if only from the ground
or know of the thunder
if only from the sound
how will I feel the rain
when watching from inside
and could I love again
with heart I hold and hide
by Gabe Frobenius - Squirrels wish
to know you better.
Trees long
for distraction.
Worms listen
for laughter.
Birds carry
the air.
by Micki Blenkush
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- Have you seen a sparrow fly at night?
Have you seen a hawk in the moonlight?
I saw them both on their midnight flight.
They flew into the darkness and out of sight.
by Colleen Paul - I gaze in awe at the sky,
Countless stars, so far, so high!
Question is,
Do they see?
For all I know, they gaze at me!
by Theo Hortis
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2012 Selections
These poems are stamped along 25th Ave S and 10th and 11th Ave N.
- Rain Child
Comes running in
Water streaming down
A smiling face
Holding out
His little hand
Proudly states
Daddy look
I caught a raindrop
See
by Terry Peterson - Wht wld th wrld b lk wtht vwls?
Hardly anything left of us,
Sometimes no you at all,
And I would disappear completely.
by Carisa Marie Kampa - The mischievous Minnesota mosquito
A silent and pesky torpedo
He pricks your skin,
Then flies off with a grin
He is quite the little bandito
by Megan Hollenhorst & Tammy Brook
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- If I were a fish,
I'd swim around this block
lap after lap after lap.
by Karen Imholte - If dandelions were rare,
How precious they would be.
Folks would flock from miles around
Their golden blooms to see.
Because they are prolific
And multiply unreigned,
Dandelions have become
Gold blossoms of disdain.
by Martha Gaetz - If you are here and looking down,
read this ditty, on the ground,
you may have other things to do,
pressures life has put on you.
Know that you are not alone,
many stop to read this stone.
by Mona Kremers
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