History in Bloom Poetry Contest

To celebrate and honor Lorain, Ohio as “The Lilac City,” we hosted a poetry contest in conjunction with our Second  Annual Lilac Sale!

Since the first Lilac Festival in Lorain in 1931, lilacs have symbolized perseverance for the city. Residents in the early 1930s wrote songs about these intoxicating plants for a contest hosted by the annual festival. In similar fashion, for this year’s 91^st anniversary of lilacs in Lorain, we encouraged residents of Lorain County to write and submit their own poem about “Lilacs and Lorain.”

The winning entry was submitted by Matt Jablonski.  Here is his poem:

West 19th Lilac

He’s not around anymore.
Neither is the house on West 19th
where he was born, and
later raised his kids.

His garage is gone too.
He kept a small fishing boat there, tools,
all manner of mechanical things, and
had nailed a loop to the front.

I keep a lilac bush in my backyard
like my grandfather did. When time
and breeze conspire precisely, I close my eyes,
breathe deep, then return to Lorain in 1979.

I’m running past the fragrant blooms
on the side of the house. He’s waiting
in the driveway, kicking up tiny gravel
as he dribbles a basketball with his giant hands.

He smiles at me. I can almost
hear his voice in the smell of lilacs.

2nd Place Winner: Madeline Waggy
3rd Place Winner: Stacey Crutcher

 Each of the winners were awarded prizes by Kelly Boyer Sagert, an Emmy-nominated author from Lorain.