Take a walk through Newark’s Riverfront Park searching for poems that tell the stories of the people who visit it! Listen to the poems by following the trail of photographs by photojournalist Ed Kashi that provide clues for discovering the poetry in and of Riverfront Park.
Poetry has long been a means of personal storytelling; PoemQuest tells the story of Riverfront Park through the voices of local poets commissioned by Newest Americans to interview visitors and share their stories through poetry. The poets asked questions designed to understand how visitors are connected to the park and to New Jersey—Where did your family come from before settling in New Jersey? What brought you here? What brings you to this park?
PoemQuest connects art to history through an interactive game that peoples the park with poetry. Once you play the game we encourage you to share your own poem about the journey that led you to Newark and your connection to Riverfront Park. Submit your poem
I couldn’t tell what it was
at first
my sister and I thought
turtle-myth
like the Jersey Devil
still living in forest fires
this sighting can outlast
dumps of chemical waste
evolving a filtration system
within lungs not absorbing lead
it could’ve been a burlap bag
that held something like rice
there is a Seabra’s in the Ironbound
and another in Harrison
that could kiss this river littered
with bags and bag-like items
plump and floating
it could’ve been a rock she said
but I remember reading
about the five families of New York
and our five wards and these bridges
have seen rocks around ankles that sink
to the bottom
by the boardwalk
When it revealed itself as a car tire
not bald nor used
I wondered how it got there
in the water brand new but travelled
I went scouring the park
that morning for a culture
to dissect a down neck history
to spin a new legend
around a thing that was only a tire
it was still in the water
out of place and something to ponder
this unused object without myth nor story
just floating in the water