Poem-In-Your-Pocket Day 2020

Mark di Suvero reading poetry in his studio. Watch video recordings of di Suvero’s poetry readings at tippetrise.org. Video still courtesy Tippet Rise Art Center.

We’re rounding out National Poetry Month and celebrating Poem-In-Your-Pocket Day 2020 with a poem by Socrates’ founder, artist Mark di Suvero; a Q&A with poet and the Park’s Director of Public Programs, Audrey Dimola; and a few Socrates staff members’ favorite poems!

Socrates Sculpture Park

By Mark di Suvero

Dreamtime by the rivers’ edge,
with skyscrapers’ skyline matching
clouds’
feeds the inner eye; root to the tree of art.

Because we changed this garbage-
land into a sculpture park
the people of this community live
with new hope

These are the dimensions of art, of
sculpture, of jazz;
to give us the energy of hope, the
embrace of paradox, the
overcoming of despair.

These our sculptures are made to
wake us to an ecstatic life of the
spirit.

Q&A with poet Audrey Dimola

Dimola MC-ing an event at the Park.

What is your relationship to the Park and how has it evolved over time?

I grew up two blocks away from Socrates, so I’ve been playing, dreaming, writing, and running around in the Park since I was a little girl. I turned 30 in 2016, which was serendipitously the same year Socrates had its 30th Anniversary. That summer I was hired by the Park for a seasonal position as Public Programs Coordinator, and then received the incredible opportunity to take over as Director of Public Programs in 2017. Working for Socrates has truly been one of the greatest gifts, joys, and generative challenges of my life.

When did your interest in poetry begin and how?

I’ve been writing poetry since I was a kid! I’m NYC public schooled (proud LIC High School alum) and was always encouraged creatively by my teachers and also by my mom. After college, I began curating events in NYC – mixing spoken word, music, art, theatre, and interactive improvisation. This desire to share my own journey, while bringing people together to share theirs in a supportive and open way, has propelled me to embrace the fullness of myself – not only as a poet and artist, but as a community connector and space-holder.

How does poetry inform your work at the Park?

Poetry reminds me that I can choose to create the meaning that imbues my life with purpose, hope, connection, and truth. For me, Socrates is a living poem. The Park was founded by spirited fellow poetry lover, Mark di Suvero, and it continues to evolve and grow moment by moment, year by year, thanks to the vibrantly diverse community that comes together here.

Our Favorite Poems

Enjoy poems selected by member of Socrates’ staff–>

In a Tree House–>

By Hafiz

Selected by Audrey Dimola, Director of Public Programs

Untitled–>

By Muhammad Ali

Selected by Malaika Langa, Director of Finance & Administration

Steps–>

By Frank O’Hara

Selected by Julia Metro, Director of Development & Communications

This Is Just to Say–>

By William Carlos Williams

Selected by Sara Morgan, Communications & Marketing Manager

Untitled Lists of Transformation–>

By Sculpture Studio Participants

Selected by Douglas Paulson, Lead Educator

I taste a liquor never brewed (214)–>

By Emily Dickinson

Selected by Jess Wilcox, Curator & Director of Exhibitions

Your Favorite Poems

We’d love to read and share your favorite poems or poems you’ve written – especially if they’re about the Park! Please send submissions to info@socratessculpturepark.org with the subject line “Poem In Your Pocket.”