seasonal poem | Minnesota Prairie Roots

Happy spring, in poetry! March 20, 2025

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 6:00 AM
Tags: Audrey Kletscher Helbling, billboards, Fergus Falls, March 20, Minnesota, poem, poetry, Roadside Poetry Project, seasonal poem, spring

*My poem about spring, shown here, was part of the 2011 Roadside Poetry Project. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2011)*

ON THIS FIRST DAY of spring, I want to share a poem I wrote in 2011. My spring-themed submission for the Roadside Poetry Project seasonal competition won. And, as a result, my poem was printed on billboard-sized signs, then placed along a roadway just off Interstate 94 in Fergus Falls in west central Minnesota. Some 100,000 vehicles a month passed by my poem.

Writing good poetry is not easy. And when you must write within guidelines, the process is even more challenging. Roadside Poetry contest rules called for only four lines of poetry with a maximum of 20 characters per line. The poem needed to fit on the signs and be readable from a distance.

Somehow, my brain managed to create what I consider a succinct and visually-strong poem defining spring. On this first day of spring, enjoy my short seasonal poem. Happy spring!