by Maureen Forsythe
BCA Youth Director
On the afternoon of Saturday, February 12th, despite frigid temperatures, a few local youth in our neighbourhood gathered outdoors near the community hall to celebrate Valentine’s Day and the love of poetry, read and present poems, and have fun. All of the participants attend Emily Carr Middle School.
The event kicked off with a scavenger hunt along the wood line of the soccer field, with participants retrieving hidden chocolate treasures and Valentine’s jokes in two parts, and then matching jokes with answers. To keep from freezing everyone tried to keep moving and enjoyed steaming hot chocolate from a thermos.
Standing in a circle, and sometimes on a picnic table, participants read a selection of poems, including “Introduction to Poetry” by Billy Collins and “Windows” by Bob Quigley. Special shout-out to Nura Rowhani who read a beautiful poem that she wrote about her mother!