U.S. national parks are not only known for their stunning beauty and wildlife, but this summer, they are also showcasing poetry. A new initiative, called Poetry in Parks, has added verse to picnic tables in seven national parks.
In Everglades National Park, visitors will find a poem by June Jordan. Her lines describe a marsh hawk with vivid imagery:
“explodes with a powerful shuffling of feathers
aimed in a 45-degree angle that leads
to the sky above the sea.”
At Mount Rainier National Park, A.R. Ammons’ poem reflects on the mountain’s landscape:
“endures
the rigors of having
no further
figure to complete
and a
blank sky.”
The Poetry in Parks program, created by U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón, is a collaboration with the National Park Service and the Poetry Society of America. It celebrates the National Park Service’s 108th anniversary on August 25.
This project is part of Limón’s larger “You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World” initiative. It includes an anthology of nature poetry. The first poems were installed in June at Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts. The program will conclude with two more installations: one in the Everglades National Park on October 8 and another in Saguaro National Park, Arizona, on December 3.
Shauna Potocky, an education specialist with the National Park Service, says the poetry helps visitors connect more deeply with nature. “People are so moved by the opportunity to slow down and take a moment to focus,” Potocky notes.
Each poem was selected to reflect its surroundings. For instance, “Cloud Song” by Ofelia Zepeda, a local poet, resonates with Saguaro National Park.
Limón emphasizes the importance of connecting with nature through poetry. “Never has it been more urgent to feel a sense of reciprocity with our environment,” she says. “Poetry’s alchemical mix of attention, silence and rhythm gives us a reciprocal way of experiencing nature.”
The Poetry Society of America supports efforts to make poetry more accessible. Executive Director Matt Brogan explains that placing poems in public spaces like parks helps people encounter poetry in their everyday lives. “It’s harder to be intimidated by something you find on a picnic table in a park,” he says.
Visitors are encouraged to respond to the poetry and their surroundings. Each picnic table features a prompt asking, “What would you write in response to the landscape around you?” Social media users have shared their own poems and photos with the hashtag #youareherepoetry.
This initiative continues a tradition of blending art and nature. Photographer Ansel Adams and various painters have long drawn inspiration from the parks’ natural beauty.