PALMDALE — The 15th poem chosen for display in Palmdale’s annual Walk on Words contest celebrates the beauty and prosperity of the city’s diversity. Palmdale resident Maria Caputo’s poem is now a permanent part of the landscape of Sam Yellen Park, stamped in concrete and unveiled in a public ceremony Thursday afternoon. The Walk on Words Poetry Contest is a founding component of the city’s Public Art program, and is held each year in April.
“We’re dedicated to art and expression,” Mayor Pro Tem Richard Loa said during Thursday’s dedication. Councilmember Andrea Alarcón thanked all the participants in the contest, not only for their literary efforts, but also for taking an active interest in their community. A student at Antelope Valley College, Caputo is taking a poetry class and plans to eventually transfer to a four-year college, majoring in English.
Prior to entering the Walk on Words contest, she wrote poetry only for herself. “I was really shocked,” she said of winning the contest. “I thought I would just try it without expectations.
” Caputo’s poem likens the city’s diversity to painting with “a rainbow of hope” and creating a symphony with many notes. Taking inspiration from her class, “I was able to really hone in on trying new things and taking new risks” with her poetry, she said. In this case, it was moving from being literal in her writing to using more abstract symbolism, Caputo said.
In addition to Caputo, the eight poets w.
