Launched by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996, National Poetry Month is a special occasion the celebrates poets’ integral role in our culture and that poetry matters. For the April Story Walk at Gibson Park, we have a list of Poems available along the trail for you to read and listen to! Each sign has a QR Code that links you to this site. You can find the numbered poems below and a link to their books and audio versions if they exist online.
For more information on National Poetry Month, please visit: https://poets.org/national-poetry-month
The Great Falls Public Library supports the right of each family to decide which items are appropriate for use by their children. The poems included our National Poetry Month Story Walk come from books and websites that were originally published with a variety of different audiences in mind, including adults. Parents are encouraged to review these materials and other media before sharing them with their children.
| Sign Number | References |
|---|---|
| 1 | Story Walk title sign |
| 2 | Invitation by Shel Silverstein, included in his classic collection of poetry for children, Where the Sidewalk Ends: Check out this title in our ONLINE catalog Listen to this book on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChBNFzidWuM |
| 3 | I Am From, poem by Sienna Trombley Sienna is a high school senior. Please do not reproduce the author’s work without her permission. |
| 4 | Father and Son from Mumblecusser and Other Poems by Allen Morris Jones Check out this title in our ONLINE catalog Other works by Allen Morris Jones: Other titles online here Allen Morris Jones is the current Montana Poet Laureate. He is the author of three novels, three children’s books, a highly regarded look at the ethics of hunting, an award-winning collection of poetry, and more than 100 published personal essays, profiles, short stories, and other incidental pieces. For more information, please visit his website: https://allenmorrisjones.com/ |
| 5 | Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 from the Holy Bible: King James Version Check out this title in our ONLINE catalog To hear these verses read aloud on YouTube, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbbGkhJghEg |
| 6 | A River that Flows Forever: 4 Mother by Tupac Shakur from Tupac: Resurrection This collection of poetry, prose writings, and photographs is intended for adults and contains mature content. Check out this title in our ONLINE catalog |
| 7 | My Shadow by Robert Lewis Stevenson is included in his classic collection, A Child’s Garden of Verses: Check out this title in our ONLINE catalog To hear this poem read aloud on YouTube, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvve8JHVIFA |
| 8 | The Dream Keepers by Langston Hughes is included in The Collection Poems of Langston Hughes: Check out this title in our ONLINE catalog Check out this title in our ONLINE catalog To hear this poem read aloud on YouTube, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jg0yZ_M9v3U |
| 9 | Man and Dog by Seigfried Sassoon is included in the collection Doggeral: Poems about Dogs, edited by Carmela Ciuraru: Check out this title in our ONLINE catalog |
| 10 | Excerpt from One Sentence Journal: Short Poems and Essays from the World at Large by Chris La Tray: Check out this title in our ONLINE catalog Chris La Tray is a Métis storyteller, a descendent of the Pembina Band of the mighty Red River of the North and an enrolled member of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians. He was the 2025 Montana Poet Laureate. For more information, please visit: https://www.chrislatray.com/about |
| 11 | The Tiger, written by Nael, a 1st grader from Washington, D.C. Check out this title online! is a non-profit that aims to help students develop a lasting, positive relationship with writing that catalyzes their ability to live to their fullest possibility. For more information, visit their website: https://826dc.org/about/ |
| 12 | It’s Dark in Here by Shel Silverstein is included in his classic collection of poetry of children, Where the Sidewalk Ends: Check out this title in our ONLINE catalog Listen to this book on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChBNFzidWuM |
| 13 | Fireflies by Taigi from Haiku: The Poetry of Zen, edited by Manuela Dunn Mascetti Check out this title in our ONLINE catalog |
| 14 | Clothes Dryer Broken from Redneck Haiku by Mary K. Witte. This collection of short poems is intended for adults. Check out this title in our ONLINE catalog |
| 15 | I Like You as You Are (lyrics by Josie Carey, music by Fred Rogers) from A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: The Poetry of Mr. Rogers Check out this title in our ONLINE catalog To hear this song sung by Mr. Rogers on YouTube, please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzYCYzV-qQ8&list=RDQzYCYzV-qQ8&start_radio=1 |
| 16 | Kindness by Great Falls poet Michael Bruce Foster (Poem shared directly by the author) Click to view Mike Foster’s poetry collection, Violin memories, available at GFPL: https://mtsc.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/GFPL/search/detailnonmodal/ent:$002f$002fSD_ILS$002f0$002fSD_ILS:2640843/ada?qu=violin&d=ent%3A%2F%2FSD_ILS%2F0%2FSD_ILS%3A2640843%7EILS%7E3&te=ILS&lm=PARTNERS1&rt=false%7C%7C%7CTITLE%7C%7C%7CTitle To read Mike Foster's poems in the Great Falls Gazette, please visit: https://gfgazette.com/?s=mike+foster&apbct__email_id__search_form= Mike Foster was born and raised in California. He served 21 years in the United States Air Force. He has lived in four foreign countries, including England and Italy. He is a published poet, with one book, Violin Memories. Currently he has a poem every Wednesday in the Great Falls Gazette. Enjoys working on his family genealogy. He is married, a father and grandfather, and lives in Great Falls, Montana. |
| 17 | If I Can Stop One Heart from Breaking by Emily Dickinson, from The Essential Emily Dickinson edited by Joyce Carol Oates Check out this title in our ONLINE catalog |
| 18 | Every Dog’s Story by Mary Oliver from her collection, Dogs Songs: Thirty-Five Dog Songs and One EssayCheck out this title in our ONLINE catalog |
| 19 | Haunted by Shel Silverstein is included in his classic collection of poetry of children, Falling Up: Check out this title in our ONLINE catalog To hear this poem read aloud on YouTube, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks04kBY15eQ |
| 20 | The Crocodile was written by Lewis Carroll and included in his classic novel for children, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: Check out this title in our ONLINE catalog To hear this poem read aloud on YouTube, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qmt9APOIUZM |
| 21 | The Last Rose of Summer by Thomas Moore is available to read on Poets.org: https://poets.org/poem/last-rose-summer |
| 22 | Hoola Hand from Horse Tracks: Poems: Check out this title in our ONLINE catalog Henry Real Bird is a member of the Crow Nation and a former Montana Poet Laureate. For more information, please visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Real_Bird |
| 23 | Starlings in Winter by Mary Oliver is included in her collection, Owls and Other Fantasies: Poems and Essays: Check out this title in our ONLINE catalog |
| 24 | Ridin’ by Linda Bark’karie from Cowgirl Poetry: One Hundred Years of Ridin’ and Rhymin’ edited by Virginia Bennett Check out this title in our ONLINE catalog |
| 25 | The Patience of Ordinary Things by Pat Schneider is available to read on Poets.org: https://poets.org/poem/patience-ordinary-things Two adult prose works by Pat Schneider are included in the GFPL and Montana Partner Libraries’ catalogs: https://mtsc.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/GFPL/search/results?qu=Schneider%2C+Pat%2C+1934-2020&te=ILS&lm=PARTNERS1 |
| 26 | The Red Wheel Barrow was written by William Carlos Williams. The image used in the Storywalk comes from 16 Words: William Carlos Williams and “The Red Wheel Barrow”: Check out this title in our ONLINE catalog To hear this poem read aloud by the author on YouTube, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqIl3oX_44s |
| 27 | Rooster from Redneck Haiku by Mary K. Witte This collection of short poems is intended for adults. Check out this title in our ONLINE catalog |
| 28 | Hammock by Shel Silvertstein from his classic collection of poetry for children, A Light in the Attic: Check out this title in our ONLINE catalog To hear this book read aloud on YouTube, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N1mmuoGT3c |
| 29 | The Guest House by Jalal al-Din Rumi comes from The Essential Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks and John Moyne Click to view all the works by Rumi available at GFPL and Montana Partner Libraries: https://mtsc.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/GFPL/search/results?qu=jalal+al+din+rumi&te=ILS&lm=PARTNERS1&rt=false%7C%7C%7CAUTHOR%7C%7C%7CAuthor To hear this poem read aloud on YouTube, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShNYW2e5ecQ |
| 30 | I’ve Been Canned by Great Falls poet Michael Bruce Foster (Poem shared directly by the author) Click to view Mike Foster’s poetry collection, Violin memories, available at GFPL: Check out this title in our ONLINE catalog To read Mike Foster's poems in the Great Falls Gazette, please visit: https://gfgazette.com/?s=mike+foster&apbct__email_id__search_form= Mike Foster was born and raised in California. He served 21 years in the United States Air Force. He has lived in four foreign countries, including England and Italy. He is a published poet, with one book, Violin Memories. Currently he has a poem every Wednesday in the Great Falls Gazette. Enjoys working on his family genealogy. He is married, a father and grandfather, and lives in Great Falls, Montana. |
| 31 | Reincarnation by Wallace “Wally” McRae from his collection, Cowboy Curmudgeon and Other Poems: Click to view all of Wally McRae’s books available at GFPL and Montana Partner Libraries:Check out this title in our ONLINE catalog To hear this poem read aloud on YouTube by the author, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnGNXoNX0Ag Renowned Montana cowboy poet Wallace "Wally" McRae died on June 22, 2025. He was 89 years young. We at the Great Falls Public Library mourn his passing and offer his friends and family our condolences. We'd also like to present one of Mr. McCrae's most recited poems titled "Reincarnation" filled with his brand of humor about the end of life. For more information about Wally McRae, please visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wally_McRae |
| 32 | The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost from his Collected Poems, Prose & Plays: Check out this title in our ONLINE catalog To hear this poem read aloud on YouTube, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4XFCxNY96k |
| 33 | The Loser by Shel Silverstein is included in his classic collection of poetry of children, Where the Sidewalk Ends: Check out this title in our ONLINE catalog Listen to this book on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChBNFzidWuM |
| 34 | Keep Going by Edgar A. Guest Read this poem online! Unfortunately, Keep Going does not appear to be not included in any collection owned by GFPL and the other Montana Partner Libraries. View other titles by this author here: https://mtsc.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/GFPL/search/results?qu=guest%2C+edgar+a&te=ILS&lm=PARTNERS1&rt=false%7C%7C%7CAUTHOR%7C%7C%7CAuthor To hear Keep Going read aloud on YouTube, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Wxi-0edL9k Edgar A. Guest published over 11,000 inspirational poems in the Detroit Free Press between 1898 and 1959. For more information about him, please visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_A._Guest |
| 35 | Map to the Great Falls Public Library The poems in this Story Walk were suggested by GFPL staff, volunteers, and patrons. Thank you for sharing your love of poetry with our community! |
