BWW Poetry Path is done for the year!

June 22, 2022October 1, 2022 MARY CHAFFEE 533 Views

Watch this space for memories.

The BWW Poetry Path, featuring short poems by 16 of our members, is now enhancing an obscure trail connecting the Arms Forest with Rock Point Road in Burlington’s New North End. Since the poem panels were installed they have attracted favorable comments, according to the Burlington Parks and Recreation Department, the Poetry Path’s facilitating partner. Even the Burlington Free Press had nice things to say.

The BWW Poetry Path was inspired by a similar path in Tadoussac, a picturesque village on Quebc’s North Shore known for its whale-watching tours. In 2015, Quebec resident and arts lover Dany Chartrand (A.K.A. Mme. Chose) realized a long-standing dream with the installation of her first annual Poésie Dans Les Arbres (Poetry in the Trees). Renewed every spring, the poetry panels are taken down in the fall and given away to village residents.

In 2019, a BWW member was camping at Tadoussac and discovered the beautiful path. She took the idea home to Burlington. With the gracious help of Mme Chose, the support of the Burlington Parks and Recreation Department, and the efforts of BWW volunteers, our own small Poetry Path is now a reality. Each panel displays the original work of a BWW member.

Unlike other poetry walks in the Burlington area, our path integrates simple panels into the trees that support them. The result is that the stroller gazes slightly upward to see a short line of verse amidst branches and green leaves.

The Poetry Path is outlined in green. It connects the Arms Forest to Rock Point Road. By car: park at the west end of Killarney Drive, walk down the steps to the Bike Path/Greenway. Walk south for a few yards and turn left into a dirt path with a field just ahead. You’ll see a trailhead on right, which leads to the intersection with the Poetry Path. From the south: park in the old Burlington High School parking lot. Follow the road into the area with religious buildings. To locate the path entrance, keep the gardens on the left and look toward the field behind a small (private) parking area. The trailhead at the forest edge is marked by a wood arch with a Poetry Path sign next to it. If you come to the bridge over the bike path, turn around. Note: mosquitoes love our poetry – bring repellent!

The Poetry Path is just one of the many things BWW offers to writers at every level. Interested? Check out our website today! We hope to see you soon at one of our workshops – remember, they are always free.

HAVE YOU WALKED ON THE POETRY PATH? FEEDBACK, PLEASE!

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