23 Inspiring Verses for National Poetry Month

It's National Poetry Month, which means the streets of West Hollywood are once again strung with graceful verses. In addition to the banners on Santa Monica Boulevard, which are featured in this slideshow, this year's month-long celebration, helmed by City Poet Steven Reigns, also features "Poetry in Lights," an electronic billboard and art project at the West Hollywood Gateway shopping center and the nightclub 1OAK.

“This year, my final year as City Poet, my focus has been to introduce poetry to more people. Especially to those who might not consider poetry relevant,” said Reigns. “I read an article where the writer claimed poetry is dead. Poetry will be at that journalist's funeral. I mean every sense of that. Poetry will still be alive."

Learn more here, and read some enlivening verses from poets like Reigns, Laurel Ann Bogen, Bryan Borland, Chiwan Choi, Peggy Dobreer, Blas Falconer, Alexis Rhone Fancer, Aaron Samuels, Lynne Thompson, Lawrence Wilson, and Cecilia Woloch on the following pages.