SUNY ESF Poetry Club
About the SUNY ESF Poetry Club:
Poetry Club is a student organization at SUNY-ESF that provides an inclusive, welcoming space to write, share, and discuss poetry with other creative writers on campus. Meetings often begin with time to share poetry that members have been writing/reading, followed by a highlighted “poem of the week,” and end with time to respond to prompts inspired by this poem.
Launched in 2019 by Audrey Fatone, an ESF student looking for a way to share her love for poetry with peers, Poetry Club has formed a dedicated community of writers on campus and become a staple of students’ weeks.
Below are creative responses from SUNY ESF students that attend weekly poetry club meetings.
Workshop Responses
From the Poetry Club: “We began our meeting by reading two of Vievee Francis’ poems, ‘Anti-Pastoral’ and ‘Another Anti-Pastoral.’ Then, we used the three creative writing prompts in the Vievee Francis’ learning guide to inspire responses during our free-write time. We are currently collecting additional responses from poetry club members!”
Ode to Ceratodon purpureus
By Siela Zembsch
Ceratodon purpureus,
aka sidewalk moss,
aka urban bryophyte,
aka little islands of green in gray,
nestles into sidewalk cracks and tucks itself in to stay.
Who knew that when contractors were cutting
each joint in the concrete sidewalk outside my house
they were creating the next home for little Ceratodon?
Little nitrogen-phile, lover of all things
grime that fall into the cracks
beneath our feet – hair, dirt, salt, skin
parts of life make life again.
There are names for the creatures taking root
in our concrete, crafting worlds that might as well be
micro-rolling hills,
pasture for tardigrade sheep,
frolicking under the shade of a moss blade,
prancing under commuter feet.