Wednesday, November 6, 2024

Ode to the Zipcode 2024 Finalists

Toledo City Paper joined The Fair Housing Center, the Arts Commission and the Toledo Lucas County Public Library in asking Toledoans to submit short poems inspired by their ZIP code — with the number of words in each line of the poem determined by the corresponding digit in their zip code. The contest, which began in 2016, received over 250 submissions this year. Here’s a small selection of those which scored highly with our judges.

Hear from these poets, and see which poems are named the best by our panel of judges at The Ode to the ZIP Code celebration Saturday, April 20, 2 pm to 4 pm in the Toledo Main Public Library Large Glass Community Room. 325 N Michigan St.

Adults

Mary Brandon

43608  

I left a child

and returned grown

fireflies, bikes, grandma’s red ripe tomatoes  

nothing

like the taste of Stanley’s kielbasa at Christmas

____________________________________

Lydia Horvath

43609

Asbestos-sided rental house

Colburn Street, 1983

neon forever flashing ICE COLD BEER

(nothing there now but a broken slab)

greasy piles of railroad ties exhaled creosote all summer

____________________________________

Ellie Cheedie

43528

Feeling the summer breeze,

Enjoying the trees,

Soft serve at Mr. G’s.

More, please.

More days just like this one–brain freeze!

____________________________________

Erin Lenfestey

43614

Full service wixey bakery

Sweet treats galore

You will find something to eat

Celebrating

Local business since 1930

____________________________________

Heidi Strobl

43612

Gazing beyond my porch

Library Village surrounds

Historic homes steeped in manufacturing history

Revitalized

Families thrive

____________________________________

Molly McDonagh

43537

graying muzzle, brittle bones

old mabel grace

she sits in the window

remembering the years

she could chase, and chase, and chase

____________________________________

Bianca Caniglia

43528

I imagine us sitting

side by side

honeysuckle between our teeth, outlines

glowing emerald

like the pond we swam in as girls

____________________________________

Lydia Horvath

43604

I’m biking Adams Street

past Handmade Toledo;

“dude calls out, “”You an artist?”””

(I nod, then he shouts -)

“””You paint grannie panties?”””

____________________________________

Christina Shephard

43607

Near my grandparents home

a creek flowed.

On warm days, we’d explore it

shrieking in glee at the sparkling minnows.

____________________________________

Justin Longacre

43613

Newborn mantis nymphs swarm

the lilac bush

each leaf, a tiny alien riot.

Spring

hatches my heart.

____________________________________

Lydia Horvath

43620

OWE winter wind storm

rants, screaming obscenities

at my Edwardian house’s wrinkled

old face

(she is not impressed)

____________________________________

Angelina Sanders

43623

the first fourteen years

i carved myself

out of LaGrange st, only to

find myself

right back here

____________________________________

Justin Longacre

43613

The racist bowling alley

suspiciously burnt down.

I bet they got insurance money.

We

got more Nothing.

____________________________________

Justin Longacre

43613

The sidewalk on Grantwood

gently curves around

the trunk of an old tree.

I

too must bend.

____________________________________

Angelina Sanders

43623

there’s a hole in

the city where

my mom has forced herself into

four blocks

from our home


Youth 12-17

Chloe Lard’e

43605

4-A symbol of stability

3-Unity and connection

6-A balance between work and play

0-reasons not to stay

5-watch as our community grows

____________________________________

Akosua Brenya

43560

A beacon of books

Drawing you in

Like light in the dark

Providing you with a way out

*

____________________________________

Jordyn Wright

43607

A bright lively neighborhood

never ending noise

where playing games will always stay

0

happiness shall never die when you’re in paradise.

____________________________________

Lydia Snyder

43537

A quiet June night,

Sitting out front.

A mosquito is shooed away.

Peonies bloom nearby.

Kids play with sparklers, dancing among fireflies.

____________________________________

Emerson Willingham

43615

as I pass Yorkshire

growing pains pang

to hear the solemn sound of

youth

condensed in a cricket’s creak.

____________________________________

Jordin Harris

43623

Both physically and emotionally

I find myself

Between the pages of

books at

Barnes and Nobles

____________________________________

Catherine Kerber

43604

Dunkin’ right before school

Late to class

“Cat, do you have a pass?”

(My grades will suffer for a vanilla latte)

Coffee in my hand

____________________________________

Lydia Snyder

43537

Facades of the river:

Sluggish murky brown,

Fast shimmering in late sun,

Full of stars,

Fresh with the first light of dawn.

____________________________________

Jordin Harris

43615

Getting lost in the

Toledo Botanical Garden

is like finding myself in nature.

Serenity

stands alone in the flowers.

____________________________________

Ryan Donaldson

43416

I have never seen

a swan at

the place they call 

Swan 

Creek. Funny isn’t it that name.

____________________________________

Finn Olsen

43566

One hill is in

the city of

Waterville, kids from 2 to

17 sled on it, not because

it’s good, there’s just one hill.

____________________________________

Leah Komperda

43617

Sunlight slants through leaves,

sparkling, swirling, merging

with the trickling, pure, marbled brook.

Pastimes

always spent playing in Saint James Wood

____________________________________

Emerson Willingham

43604

this forest of brick

whispers soft song

even the sidewalk cracks breathe music

(as I prepare to leave)

behind striding students past.

____________________________________

Emerson Willingham

43623

this street bleeds motherhood

one stricken face

of four generations of women roosting

that fate

has wrenched apart.

____________________________________

Jordin Harris

43607

We planted ourselves here,

deep under cement

and pollution, and learned to grow.

[Though we were set up to fail,]

We grew between the cracks and flourished.


Youth (up to 11)

Lincoln Mockensturm

43537

Classmates can be annoying,

With chatting issues,

With blaming other innocent classmates,

With angered classmates

And with lots of not necessary arguments.

____________________________________

Ellie Cheedie

43528

Giving Christmas cookies to

Spread Christmas cheer

Knocking on doors and singing

Christmas carols

For all to hear. A jolly Holland holiday.

____________________________________

Ellie Cheedie

43528

I play with my

neighbors and swing

on the swing, I go

to the

backyard to bounce and jump on the trampoline.

____________________________________

Parker Bertsch

43537

Inspiring to observe it

Getting pretty dark

See it setting at west

Slowly falling down

Watching our beautiful and creature filled world

____________________________________

Lincoln Mockensturm

43537

It is ok kid,

When something happens,

When a loved one passes,

We are here,

To cheer you up with memories together.

____________________________________

Evelyn Thoma

43532

Liberty Center Tiger Pride

Family, Friends, Community

Sports: Soccer, Football, Basketball, Volleyball

Dream Come True

LC Love

____________________________________

Hudson Guy

43537

Snow days are fun

Shoveling the driveway

Going sledding with my friends

Shoveling the sidewalk

Making a snowman with family and friends

____________________________________

Parker Bertsch

43537

So high and bright

Up so far

In the freezing night sky

Into the heavens

In the never ending expanding large universe

____________________________________

Ellie Cheedie

43528

Soccer at Homecoming Park

Fireworks after dark

Stayed up late with a

library book,

then a thunderstorm came, and the house shook.

____________________________________

Honor Savage-Edwards

43614

Swan Creek Park at

sunset has the

most beautiful light on the leaves

my

heart skips a beat

____________________________________

Ellie Cheedie

43528

The backyard birds always

sing to me

whenever they get bird seeds

while I

watch from the swing in the sycamore tree.

____________________________________

Wiley Kelleher

43620

There are parks here

We play on

We walk to Museum to look at

Art stuff

-OWE

____________________________________

Jayden Santibanez

43537

This typewriter is rusted

Also very old

And is probably forgotten too

Because of computers

But in my head it’s a classic

____________________________________

Parker Bertsch

43537

Walking around the woods

Finding several prey

Darkness consuming its little ears

Lost finding way

Waiting to finally meet a new owner

____________________________________

Jayden Santibanez

43537

Where I’ve been living

My whole life

Always been my safe space

People are right

Home really is where the heart is

Toledo City Paper joined The Fair Housing Center, the Arts Commission and the Toledo Lucas County Public Library in asking Toledoans to submit short poems inspired by their ZIP code — with the number of words in each line of the poem determined by the corresponding digit in their zip code. The contest, which began in 2016, received over 250 submissions this year. Here’s a small selection of those which scored highly with our judges.

Hear from these poets, and see which poems are named the best by our panel of judges at The Ode to the ZIP Code celebration Saturday, April 20, 2 pm to 4 pm in the Toledo Main Public Library Large Glass Community Room. 325 N Michigan St.

Adults

Mary Brandon

43608  

I left a child

and returned grown

fireflies, bikes, grandma’s red ripe tomatoes  

- Advertisement -

nothing

like the taste of Stanley’s kielbasa at Christmas

____________________________________

Lydia Horvath

43609

Asbestos-sided rental house

Colburn Street, 1983

neon forever flashing ICE COLD BEER

(nothing there now but a broken slab)

greasy piles of railroad ties exhaled creosote all summer

____________________________________

Ellie Cheedie

43528

Feeling the summer breeze,

Enjoying the trees,

Soft serve at Mr. G’s.

More, please.

More days just like this one–brain freeze!

____________________________________

Erin Lenfestey

43614

Full service wixey bakery

Sweet treats galore

You will find something to eat

Celebrating

Local business since 1930

____________________________________

Heidi Strobl

43612

Gazing beyond my porch

Library Village surrounds

Historic homes steeped in manufacturing history

Revitalized

Families thrive

____________________________________

Molly McDonagh

43537

graying muzzle, brittle bones

old mabel grace

she sits in the window

remembering the years

she could chase, and chase, and chase

____________________________________

Bianca Caniglia

43528

I imagine us sitting

side by side

honeysuckle between our teeth, outlines

glowing emerald

like the pond we swam in as girls

____________________________________

Lydia Horvath

43604

I’m biking Adams Street

past Handmade Toledo;

“dude calls out, “”You an artist?”””

(I nod, then he shouts -)

“””You paint grannie panties?”””

____________________________________

Christina Shephard

43607

Near my grandparents home

a creek flowed.

On warm days, we’d explore it

shrieking in glee at the sparkling minnows.

____________________________________

Justin Longacre

43613

Newborn mantis nymphs swarm

the lilac bush

each leaf, a tiny alien riot.

Spring

hatches my heart.

____________________________________

Lydia Horvath

43620

OWE winter wind storm

rants, screaming obscenities

at my Edwardian house’s wrinkled

old face

(she is not impressed)

____________________________________

Angelina Sanders

43623

the first fourteen years

i carved myself

out of LaGrange st, only to

find myself

right back here

____________________________________

Justin Longacre

43613

The racist bowling alley

suspiciously burnt down.

I bet they got insurance money.

We

got more Nothing.

____________________________________

Justin Longacre

43613

The sidewalk on Grantwood

gently curves around

the trunk of an old tree.

I

too must bend.

____________________________________

Angelina Sanders

43623

there’s a hole in

the city where

my mom has forced herself into

four blocks

from our home


Youth 12-17

Chloe Lard’e

43605

4-A symbol of stability

3-Unity and connection

6-A balance between work and play

0-reasons not to stay

5-watch as our community grows

____________________________________

Akosua Brenya

43560

A beacon of books

Drawing you in

Like light in the dark

Providing you with a way out

*

____________________________________

Jordyn Wright

43607

A bright lively neighborhood

never ending noise

where playing games will always stay

0

happiness shall never die when you’re in paradise.

____________________________________

Lydia Snyder

43537

A quiet June night,

Sitting out front.

A mosquito is shooed away.

Peonies bloom nearby.

Kids play with sparklers, dancing among fireflies.

____________________________________

Emerson Willingham

43615

as I pass Yorkshire

growing pains pang

to hear the solemn sound of

youth

condensed in a cricket’s creak.

____________________________________

Jordin Harris

43623

Both physically and emotionally

I find myself

Between the pages of

books at

Barnes and Nobles

____________________________________

Catherine Kerber

43604

Dunkin’ right before school

Late to class

“Cat, do you have a pass?”

(My grades will suffer for a vanilla latte)

Coffee in my hand

____________________________________

Lydia Snyder

43537

Facades of the river:

Sluggish murky brown,

Fast shimmering in late sun,

Full of stars,

Fresh with the first light of dawn.

____________________________________

Jordin Harris

43615

Getting lost in the

Toledo Botanical Garden

is like finding myself in nature.

Serenity

stands alone in the flowers.

____________________________________

Ryan Donaldson

43416

I have never seen

a swan at

the place they call 

Swan 

Creek. Funny isn’t it that name.

____________________________________

Finn Olsen

43566

One hill is in

the city of

Waterville, kids from 2 to

17 sled on it, not because

it’s good, there’s just one hill.

____________________________________

Leah Komperda

43617

Sunlight slants through leaves,

sparkling, swirling, merging

with the trickling, pure, marbled brook.

Pastimes

always spent playing in Saint James Wood

____________________________________

Emerson Willingham

43604

this forest of brick

whispers soft song

even the sidewalk cracks breathe music

(as I prepare to leave)

behind striding students past.

____________________________________

Emerson Willingham

43623

this street bleeds motherhood

one stricken face

of four generations of women roosting

that fate

has wrenched apart.

____________________________________

Jordin Harris

43607

We planted ourselves here,

deep under cement

and pollution, and learned to grow.

[Though we were set up to fail,]

We grew between the cracks and flourished.


Youth (up to 11)

Lincoln Mockensturm

43537

Classmates can be annoying,

With chatting issues,

With blaming other innocent classmates,

With angered classmates

And with lots of not necessary arguments.

____________________________________

Ellie Cheedie

43528

Giving Christmas cookies to

Spread Christmas cheer

Knocking on doors and singing

Christmas carols

For all to hear. A jolly Holland holiday.

____________________________________

Ellie Cheedie

43528

I play with my

neighbors and swing

on the swing, I go

to the

backyard to bounce and jump on the trampoline.

____________________________________

Parker Bertsch

43537

Inspiring to observe it

Getting pretty dark

See it setting at west

Slowly falling down

Watching our beautiful and creature filled world

____________________________________

Lincoln Mockensturm

43537

It is ok kid,

When something happens,

When a loved one passes,

We are here,

To cheer you up with memories together.

____________________________________

Evelyn Thoma

43532

Liberty Center Tiger Pride

Family, Friends, Community

Sports: Soccer, Football, Basketball, Volleyball

Dream Come True

LC Love

____________________________________

Hudson Guy

43537

Snow days are fun

Shoveling the driveway

Going sledding with my friends

Shoveling the sidewalk

Making a snowman with family and friends

____________________________________

Parker Bertsch

43537

So high and bright

Up so far

In the freezing night sky

Into the heavens

In the never ending expanding large universe

____________________________________

Ellie Cheedie

43528

Soccer at Homecoming Park

Fireworks after dark

Stayed up late with a

library book,

then a thunderstorm came, and the house shook.

____________________________________

Honor Savage-Edwards

43614

Swan Creek Park at

sunset has the

most beautiful light on the leaves

my

heart skips a beat

____________________________________

Ellie Cheedie

43528

The backyard birds always

sing to me

whenever they get bird seeds

while I

watch from the swing in the sycamore tree.

____________________________________

Wiley Kelleher

43620

There are parks here

We play on

We walk to Museum to look at

Art stuff

-OWE

____________________________________

Jayden Santibanez

43537

This typewriter is rusted

Also very old

And is probably forgotten too

Because of computers

But in my head it’s a classic

____________________________________

Parker Bertsch

43537

Walking around the woods

Finding several prey

Darkness consuming its little ears

Lost finding way

Waiting to finally meet a new owner

____________________________________

Jayden Santibanez

43537

Where I’ve been living

My whole life

Always been my safe space

People are right

Home really is where the heart is

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