Mash Up: Baltimore Grand Prix + Robert Frost

My husband has a dream deferred. For as long as I can remember, he's wanted to buy a beat-up antique car he can rebuild and customize. But we have kids and jobs, so --

when Baltimore announced it was hosting the Grand Prix, an IndyCar race, my guy bought four tickets as soon as they went on sale.

Today is the big day. I was looking for a poem about speed to post -- famous drivers like Marco Andretti and Danica Patrick are going to be racing around 2+ miles of Charm City's tourist district -- and I came across this lead from the Bleacher Report:

"There is a popular poem out there that talks about a fork in the road, and which path should be taken. Many everyday people find themselves in this situation a lot, and the drivers and teams in the IZOD INDYCAR Series are no different. One particular team will be faced with a new challenge this year, that can either take them on the path to destruction, or on the road to victory —literally."

I had to laugh about the mash up between IndyCar racing and Robert Frost's famous poem.

The funny (or unfunny) thing is, "The Road Not Taken" has taken on new meaning as Baltimore prepped for this race. Forewarned as B'moreans were, everyone's been screaming about the road closures. Traffic into the surrounding 'burbs was horrific on Thursday. One friend reported that her daughter's afternoon school bus ride out of Baltimore took two hours.

Light Street -- at the heart of Baltimore's Inner Harbor

Which Baltimore persona will great the race, Charm City or Mob Town? Do you think the city has taken the wrong road in hosting the event? I'll report back from the race.

The Road Not Taken

by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

Read the rest and listen at Poetry Foundation.

Join the Living Poetry Flash Mob

Credit goes to my fellow MSAC Artist-in-Education Virginia Crawford for noticing that the date of 100 Thousand Poets for Change (Saturday 9/24) coincides with this year's Baltimore Book Festival.

Since Ginny and I both lead poetry workshops for children, we wanted to plan a fun, hands-on activity for families at BBF. How would this connect with 100 TPC? Read my interview with the organizer of this global event, Michael Rothenberg. Playing with poetry gets kids excited about language, eager to share their original poems, and teaches both self-awareness and empathy.

There are three ways you can join our Living Poetry Flash.

1. Show up at the CityLit Tent on Saturday, 9/24, between 12:00 PM and 12:30 PM. You'll see a group of people wearing t-shirts with a word or short phrase on the front and/or back. Line those people up to combine words and create your living poem. Be sure to take a photo. Send it to me or upload it to the 100 TPC Facebook page.

2. So, you want to be part of a Living Poem? Ginny Crawford and I will hand out a limited number of free t-shirts on Saturday morning (CityLit Tent). The words on these shirts will be taken from a Lucille Clifton poem that's in keeping with the "Poets for Change" theme. Come back to the CityLit Tent at 12:00 sharp to get versified. Your poet awaits!

3. If your house is like mine, you have glitter, fabric markers and puffy paint on hand. Or maybe your creativity ends with a black Sharpie. Either way -- grab an old t-shirt or get a new one.

My blank t-shirt.

Pick a word (family-friendly, please) that would inspire a poet. Write that word, or a short phrase, on the back of your shirt. You can use the front, too.

It will look like this:

I wrote my phrase with fabric markers and I'm ready for the Living Poetry Flash Mob.

Remember -- all parts of speech are welcome and needed. Small words carry as much weight as big words in a poem. We love articles, conjunctions, nouns and verbs equally.

With all that craft gear on hand, my middle schooler and I had to add some bling to our tees. Here are our Living Poetry Flash Mob tees-in-progress. The bandanna -- that's for my dog. He wants to be in a poem, too.

Questions? Leave me a comment. I will answer you pronto.

For grown ups, we will follow the Living Poetry Flash with another 100 Thousand Poets for Change event. Little Patuxent Review is sponsoring a panel discussion, "Poets for Social Justice." You'll find the list of panelists at the Baltimore Book Festival website.