It's Never Too Hot for Poetry in Teaneck

Poet Scott Pleasants

I was excited to learn that Scott Pleasants, the poet laureate of Teaneck, NJ, was planning a new poetry series so close to home this past Sunday. It's being held in a small garden adjacent to the town's recently renovated library, and it includes an open mic.

I woke up Sunday to a sudden burst of mid-summer weather and decided to write a poem for the occasion. I normally struggle for days/weeks/months/years/decades to write a single poem, but I didn't have anything appropriate at the ready.

The result is below, a poem I read on Sunday afternoon that didn't exist on Sunday morning. It's set in Teaneck and based on current celestial events.

I arrived early and commented to Scott, "What weather! It's too hot for poetry!" Which, he assured me, is never the case.

More than two dozen people showed up in the shade, including Chris Rockwell, founder and editor of SOUP CAN magazine, and two local poets I've participated in recent workshops with, Tara Temprano and Tammy Smith. Scott's next event at the garden? Sunday afternoon at 2, on May 31. And here's my less-than-day-old poem:

When Venus and Jupiter Converge Over Teaneck

 

It’s May 2026,

and the moon has begun

to sweep past Venus and Jupiter,

as the two brightest planets

visible on earth

slowly converge

in the early evening sky.

 

This is when

I find refuge in art:

A prophetic sonnet

at the conjunction

of passion and spiritual growth…

2,000 and 28 years after the sight

that evoked the Star of Bethlehem.

 

At dusk on June 9, 2026,

a new savior will be born

at Holy Name Medical Center,

welcomed with a cosmic kiss,

revered by all faiths,

descended from aurochs and angels.

She will change the world forever:

 

End all wars,

redistribute wealth,

protect our sons and daughters.

She will share her immortality,

and save us with humility.

No golden statues of this goddess

born in Teaneck, New Jersey.

 

Dispelling myths the self-righteous believe,

she will inspire our epic poetry.

Scott's "Ode to Teaneck," displayed in the library garden