In celebration of National Poetry Month, which arrives in April, VIA Metropolitan Transit announced 12 winners in its "Poetry on the Move" contest.

“Poetry on the Move is an opportunity to celebrate the inspiring contributions of poets and artists in our region,” VIA President and CEO Jeffrey C. Arndt says in a press release.



The winning entries, which are illustrated by art students at North East School of the Arts, Edgewood Fine Arts Academy, SAY Sí Youth Arts Program and the Henry Ford Academy: Alameda School for Art + Design, will be featured on interior cards displayed throughout VIA's fleet in an effort to fold art into the "transit ridership experience."

“Now in its seventh year, this event highlights a unique form of art in transit that blends the literary, auditory, and metrical aspects of poetry with the aesthetics of visual art," Arndt says. "VIA is a proud supporter of programs to bring art into the community and we are delighted to encourage artistic endeavors as part of our work.”



The poetry contest, which is open to people 18 and up in Central and South Texas, received 235 entries.

Winners include:

· David Lee Bach – “Van Gogh Rides the Bus “
· Diane Gonzales Bertrand – “Abuelita’s Kitchen Table”
· Megan Chandler – “En Pointe”
· Sally Clark – “Old Sheets”
· Cyra S. Dumitru – “View from Mom’s Hospital Window”
· Toni Heringer Falls – “I Like to Think”
· Michael Goins – “Statement”
· Laura Guli – “How to Eat the Texas Sky”
· Douglas W. Johnson – “In the Inky Iraqi Stillness”
· Tom Keene – “How Poems Happen”
· Linda Simone – “My Son Moves to San Antonio”
· Brian Kenneth Swain – “The Final Performance”

To see all of the winning entries, visit this photo gallery on VIA Metropolitan Transit's Facebook page.