AIFF is honored to join The Arlington Commission for Arts and Culture, Arlington Center for the Arts and the Robbins Library in supporting The Red Letter Poems Project created by Arlington Poet Laureate, Steven Ratiner.

The Red Letter Poems Project

"When I was first appointed as Poet Laureate for Arlington, MA one of my goals was to help bring the strength and delight of poetry into unexpected settings. This project was intended to share some of Arlington's poetic voices in bright red envelopes, sending a mass mailing to randomly-selected households - a small surprise amid the advertisements and bills. Before our team could make this happen, Corona struck but I feel now such an outreach is more important than ever during this time of anxiety and isolation. Thus the creation of this e-version mailing in partnership with many of our town's cultural organizations. We'll send out a poem from a new poet every week; if you enjoy them, we encourage you to forward them to friends or post them on your social media platforms with the hashtags listed below. Wishing you a momentary respite from these challenging times.

In ancient Rome, feast days were indicated on the calendar by red letters. To my mind, all poetry and art - and, in truth, even the Corona crisis itself - serves as a reminder that every day we wake together beneath the sun is a red-letter day. Steven Ratiner

Pinckney Street

--for James Carroll

A view from the crest down to the river—

a walk and my friend stopping to say that

for three weeks each year

and beginning tomorrow

this will be the most

beautiful place in the city—

our respite in brick-faced buildings

blushing in sunlight,

in star magnolias swelling,

about to burst into bright badges,