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Come into the Stamp today and grab a brew,
You never know who will be sitting next to you,
It could be your future boo,
Or someone you exchange conversation with for an hour or two
All in all you come in you'll always have a friend,
And only a couple bucks you'll have to spend,
And it will never be fake or pretend,
It's your drink
It'll be here for you to the end.
- Ryan, Vero Beach

I come from where the ocean meets the sea
Where everyone has old memories
Backyard BBQs, trucks and fights,
Where we grew up, we rode bikes
There's birds and fish and sea and land
But I would not change just what I have
If I could give you some advice,
Come live with me in paradise
- Justin, Vero Beach

I am here, not there..
There is crowded, noisy..
There covets positioning, attentioning_
There, I have tried..
Dancing the dance required..
Perfecting pleasing personas_
There drains and irritates..
Pleasantries babbled, grate..
Absent sincerity offends_
Here, settling happens..
Breezes nudging, fanning the glow..
Shorn grass smelling a lost memory_
Observing there from here..
Ponderings, reflections bloom & fade..
Silent sighs shudder through my here_

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If on the beach upon the sand
or well away and on the land
A promise awaits of sun and light
through any storm or darkest night
Oh that sun is gonna shine
warm and glowing quite divine
Not cluttered crowded packed or rush
no traffic snarls nor urban crush
but beauty natural, gardens plush
Vero Beach an oasis in time
as gentile as a nursery rhyme
so sit back, relax, pick up your feet
enjoy the view, it's hard to beat

- James, Vero Beach

My town can be sweet as a peach
Other times I dread
to lay my head
Here in this town
But I will never drown
I float in the ocean
And kiss the sand
Pick up shells in my hand
And look up to the sun
I’ll have some fun
Because Vero Beach
Can really be
As deep as the sea
And as sweet as a peach.

Oh woman of the sea
What should I be?
Should I be sparkling
Should I be shining
Or just a big mass of water curling and winding
Should I warm fledglings hearts
Or should I let continents drift apart
Should I be part of nature’s symphony
An orchestra
Or my own sweet melody
Should I be a place where couples tend to stroll
Or should I be a place of freedom
A place to unfold
Should I be the one to put sailors to sleep
Or should I be a refuse heap
Oh woman of the sea...

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I am from the South East of world
To the North West, I took off as a high school graduate girl
I left my past all behind
In search of my future, of what I can find
I said good-bye to the Boere land
And set foot amongst the English man
I am from similar seasons
Here the leaves come and go, all for different reasons
I am from the Big five, wild as can be
Here there are exotic animals, like the manatee
I am from dark beach sands
And moved to shell-filled shores and sand
almost as...
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My Dad asks, “Where are you going?”

When I was ten, the answer was “gonna ride my bike, Dad.”
When I was 20, this question was left on voicemail in my apartment in New Hampshire.
The answer was, “to a party, to class, for a hike up Mt. Monadnock,”
but I rarely called back.
I’m sorry, Dad.
When I was 25, I didn’t know where I was going.
When I got there, I wouldn’t have told a soul what I’d seen.
When I was 30, the answer was, work, then school, then work, then school, then …

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My name is Omar Guevara and this is a little how my story goes.....

I come from a fatherless home. How am I supposed to be a man with no father to call my own? A man is what they want me to be but how is this supposed to be when no one is beside me. I'm coming at you from a deep meaningful perspective, all these other MC's rappin about drugs, guns, sex, got me narcoleptic. Times be getting tough when you’re getting roughed up by your whole family tree...
- Omar, Gifford

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The world is perceived as a technological artifact. When it should be perceived as a world full of art...and that’s a fact. As I said before "I'm trying to break the mold" and this gets slightly easier the more I get old. They say with knowledge comes power and that knowledge is power. The way I see if you give me a listen ill make it rain like an informational shower. I'll keep you on your toes with stories from my past, until you figure out...
- Omar, Gifford

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Feelings of love generated by family
Where wonderment and happiness intertwine
Canopy of oaks leaves me feeling calm
Joyous child's laughter from playing with his dog
Waking every morning to see the light of my life

-- Richard, Vero Beach

Take me away
Take me far away
Let me have one day of a clear mind
Let me focus on the me that is harbored inside the external shell that everyone sees.
I am different on the inside; come, all me to show you. Stop and explore the me my mind knows is there. I see you, not your outer self but your inner beauty;
you radiate it. Mine is there too. Stay long enough to see it. It stays guarded as sometimes it tries too hard then recoils into it's safe space crying
"take me away, take me far away"

Share your story, speak your truth

Throughout the month of April, National Poetry Month, we collected poems about Indian River County and they are on display here. The project has come to a close for this year, BUT the collection will remain live and we invite you to continue to look, listen and write about the world around you!

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It's super easy - write a poem about where you live and where you're from. What does that mean to you? What do you want to say about it? All voices welcome! Your poem can be as simple as a haiku or a full epic verse. If you need inspiration, check out the prompts HERE and suggested styles HERE.

Send submissions to manyvoicespoetryproject@gmail.com.

CALLING ALL ARTISTS!

If you are a visual artist, a musician, a performer, a designer...you name it...join the conversation. Create your own work of art to accompany a poem on the site, or write your own poem and create something to go with it. With your permission, your work will be displayed in an online gallery and in a printed anthology to be released this summer. What's your story?

Many Voices, Many Truths

a Poetry Project of Place

Vero Beach