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2026 Sidewalk Poetry Selections Coming to a Sidewalk Near You!
We are so excited to share the 2026 Sidewalk Poetry selections! This spring, the City of Appleton Department of Public Works will be stamping five poems into neighborhood sidewalks throughout Appleton.
About the Sidewalk Poetry Program
The City of Appleton launched the Sidewalk Poetry Program in 2014. Since then, Appleton residents and Appleton Area School District students have contributed over 60 original poems, transforming our city’s sidewalks into an open book of poetry. New poems are stamped each spring as a part of the Department of Public Work’s sidewalk replacement program. Visit the City of Appleton’s website for a complete map of all current poem locations.
2026 Selections
Hemlocks by Eric Neevel
In the cool, misty
Presence of these
Native, ancient friends
Witnessing the cares and concerns,
The jubilation and joy,
Of those who enter
The silence of resting giants
To become like them.
Lana Thiel
Time does not bow to anyone
She is an escaped convict
A runaway who swims toward
The ever-rising sun
She rebels against her unraveling
Bathing in the shadows
Of the fading moonlight
Bound to a cemetery of stars
Laughter Lines by Crystal Thiel
Glance at the mirror in dismay,
But keep those thoughts at bay.
Those laughter lines only accent,
Evidence of a life well spent.
Nature Walk Haiku Pair by Amanda Gade
water carves through rock
thousands of years on this earth
my black skipping stone
felled trees dance in us
our eyes capture every growth
they say keep walking
Francis Free
wouldn’t it be funny
if you loved me too
and you’ve been waiting
to tell me
like I’ve been waiting
to tell you