NEWTON — The wall of a local coffee shop is slowly filling with poetry.
As part of a month-long promotion, Newton's Espesso Café is offering a free coffee (or tea or pop) to anyone who writes and submits an original poem.
As of Friday afternoon (April 8), 17 poems were posted a wall at the coffee shop.
A couple of the posted poems are written by Rhiannon Paskall, daughter of Julie Paskall, who was killed outside Newton Arena in December of 2013.
(Scroll down to see photos of some of the poems)
It's all done in celebration of National Poetry Month, in an initiative of the Cedar Bark Poets and Friends of the Grove.
"They came to me and wanted to do this here," said Youssif Ihab, owner of the coffee shop.
"Some of them have never (written) a poem before, and even older people are doing it. It's kind of neat. Word is slowly spreading," he said.
Poems can be on any theme and in any format, but organizers encourage submissions on the theme of "Coffee & Cafes" – and all work must be original.
Members of Cedar Bark Poets will gather at the coffee shop for a special event on the evening of Saturday, April 9. Click here for details.
Espresso Café is located at 7330 137th St. in Newton.
tom.zillich@thenownewspaper.com
