Walking my dog Daisy down my street earlier this week, I was surprised to notice a repurposed realtor’s box — sporting a ribbon and red feather — in front of a neighbor’s house. Intrigued, I opened it and found several sheets of paper bearing this message:
“It’s simple. Take a poem out of the box, enjoy it and pass it on.”
Simple, indeed. And lovely and thoughtful and wonderful, too!
I took a copy of the poem inside the box, “A Sea-Side Walk” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and continued my own walk, a bit giddy at my neighborhood discovery.
A few days later, with Daisy at my side and copies of Sylvia Plath’s “Mushrooms” in hand, I walked to the Poetry Box and deposited my literary bounty. Just as I was about the leave, my poetry-minded neighbor emerged from her home. I told her how delighted I was at her new venture, and she told me about the movement in Portland that had inspired her.
Having recently written about joining a friend’s “Poetry in Motion” club, wherein we learn a poem while walking or hiking, I found this Poetry Box a perfect complement to that endeavor.
Why not create your own Poetry Box? Such a wonderful way to share the possibilities of poetry with passersby…
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The Well-Versed Mom 
Love this. And “the square footage of the human heart”? Wow.
What a cool idea! And thanks so much for your enthusiastic words about my “A Modest Men’s Reproductive Health Reg Proposal!”
Sounds fantastic! Definitely adds some special spice to walking the dog.