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Songs for America

Songs for America is a collaborative project, conceptualized and edited by Poet Laureate Nicole Tallman. The project uses the sonnet, a 14-line poetic form originating in 13th-century Italy (sonetto) that essentially translates to “little song,” to celebrate our country, our county, and our community.

As you read these seven sonnets by seven local poets, written in celebration of America’s 250th in Miami, you’ll notice that many of these poems are, in essence, songs. This is music designed to bring people together at a time that often tries to divide.
colorful abstract painting created by ai

Declaration of Miami-Dade

When in the course of human events: meaning 
all of our history, Seminoles and Miccosukee,
meaning colonialism that’s denied, yet defines 
us in this city that proudly defies explanation,
meaning us, who left our native soils to toil
for Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,
meaning us, in this true melting pot made of 
jerk chicken, pupusas, matzos, griot, alongside
hot dogs and apple pies, meaning us, dancing
Salsa, Reggae, Cumbia, Samba, Tango, meaning 
our Spanish, English, and French meshed into 
one voice as was meant to be here, pledging 
Our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor, 
to this country’s promises we came to die for. 

— Richard Blanco
sidwalk with large dominos game design

Cafecito & Libertad

Miami-Dade, bright ribbon by the bay,
Two hundred fifty years of steadfast flame;
From humble dawn to this resplendent day,
A nation rising, proud to claim its name.

Here Biscayne shimmers under rising sun,
And palms keep time with breezes bold and free;
Abuela smiles, sigue adelante, corazón,
While liberty sings through each royal tree.

We pass the cafecito, sweet and strong,
Like history poured warm in tiny cups;
En cada esquina beats a hopeful song,
Where barrio dreams and skyline spirit rise.

O America, in Miami’s tide we stand.
One beating heart, un pueblo, one bright land.
 
— Oscar Fuentes/The Biscayne Poet
bundle of sugar cane

Ode

to the machetes that made Miami—
descendants of the falx and panga, 
developed for cutting down banana
and sugarcane with the least sweat equity—
that cracked the protective ribs of mangroves,
the sickle-like blades creating a path
for the Emily B’s crew to make berth
so that Julia, her children, and live-
stock could see their way clear to Fort Dallas.
What would this city have been without those
sturdy spines, without the woman who chose
to uproot her family to find fresh ballast
for transformation without superstition,
and the plan to achieve her steel-eyed vision?
 
— Jen Karetnick

Note: Julia Tuttle, Mother of Miami, supposedly landed in the Biscayne Bay region on Friday, November 13, 1891.
colorful mosaic wall, says calle ocho

The Miami Way

At dawn, Miami-Dade lifts up its face,
A quilt of tongues stitched bright along the bay;
Palm prayers clap wind, and in their green embrace
The city hums the future into day.
 
Here, America learns how to arrive—
By boat and plane, by hope, by borrowed flame;
We braid our voices so the dream survives,
Salt on our skin, survival our name.
 
Calle Ocho sings; the cafecito steams;
Bayside mirrors flags in broken light;
From mangrove roots rise stubborn, generous dreams,
Storm-schooled, we turn the dark into pure bright.
 
This is the vow: to welcome, work, and stay—
Our nation learning joy the Miami way.
 
— Caridad Moro-Gronlier
sign that says hello florida, ai generated

When I Think of Florida

When I think of Florida I think of
those that chose the sea instead of land.
I wonder if their bones have made it
to peninsula and how many of my ancestors
I’ve accidentally stepped on.
When I see a gator, I’m on edge.
Is it because I was fed to one as a child,
in another life, not aware that my only crime
was being born a shade of night?
I like to think that Miami is a bit better now.
The highway no longer cutting off circulation
of Colored Town and my non-related brother and sisters
wave their reds and blues proudly. Open my veins,
lick my tears and you’d see I taste the same as any native.
 
— Trey Rhone
a street with cars and palm trees, ai generated

Here We Speak in Home-Grown Tongues

In the middle of the nation a farmer plants a few kernels 
of wheat. The way his father did, and his father’s 
father did in a country not so different from this one. 
And just as it has done for generations, the grain grows. 
First a bud, then a stalk, then an entire sea cresting with amber waves— 
ready to be reaped and threshed and consumed. A mother 
on the west coast transforms the wheat into a soft bun, 
fills it with roasted pork and steams it. A man in the northeast
smothers dough with sauce and cheese and fires it over wooden embers.
In my hometown a woman laminates it with butter, fills pastry
with a sticky fruit paste that she enjoyed in the land 
she used to call home. They each take a bite. Chew. Swallow.
The borders between culture, time-zone, and flavor blend.
And they speak a common language with their mouths closed.
 
— Rani Ruado
fireworks

Born on the Third of July

America—I was one day away
from sharing a birthday with you.
(Instead, I share a birthday with Dave 
Barry, Laura Branigan & Tom Cruise.) 
America—my Cancer sister, 
your birthday of pure red, white & blue. 
Your birthday of parades & fireworks. 
America—I wrote this song for you. 
Our nation unites to celebrate you.
America—look up at the sky. 
Tonight, in Miami, let’s look up 
at the sky. Feel the magic. Hear the rhyme. 
See how after all this time, 
all the stars still shine for you. 
 
— Nicole Tallman

Contributors

Richard Blanco was selected as the fifth Presidential Inaugural Poet in U.S. history, and was the youngest, the first Latinx, immigrant, and gay person to serve in that role. In 2023, Richard was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Biden. Born in Madrid to Cuban exile parents and raised in Miami, where he served as the County’s inaugural Poet Laureate from April 2022-2024, cultural identity characterizes his many collections of award-winning poetry, including his most recent collection, Homeland of My Body. Richard serves as Education Ambassador for The Academy of American Poets and is an Associate Professor at Florida International University.

Oscar Fuentes (The Biscayne Poet) was born in Manhattan to Honduran immigrant parents and is a Miami-based multidisciplinary artist with over 30 years in the arts. His latest book, Geography of Light (2026), explores family and memory. He is the author of 13 books, including Relics of the Heart (2024) and Poetry City (2025). He appeared on The Real Housewives of Miami, showcasing his typewriter poetry. Oscar hosts a poet-in-residence program at 1 Hotel South Beach and received the Miami-Dade Mayoral Poetry Commendation from Daniella Levine Cava.

Jen Karetnick is the author of 13 collections of poetry, including Inheritance with a High Error Rate (January 2024), winner of the 2022 Cider Press Review Book Award. Forthcoming books include Organ Language (Lit Fox Books, September 2026) and Domiciliary (Sheila-Na-Gig Editions, October 2026). She is the recipient of more than a dozen grants, fellowships, and residencies. The co-founder and managing editor of SWWIM Every Day, she has forthcoming work in New Ohio Review, North American Review, Plume, South Dakota Review, and elsewhere. See jkaretnick.com.

Caridad Moro-Gronlier is the recipient of an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship (2025) for her work as Poet Laureate of Miami-Dade County (2024–2026). She is the author of Visionware (2009), Tortillera (2021), Through the Lens (2026) and As to Your Comment forthcoming in 2027 from Texas Review Press. A community-driven poet, Caridad’s public work includes collaborations with cultural, educational, and civic institutions throughout South Florida. She is a Senior Editor of SWWIM Every Day and Poetry Curator-at-Large for The Betsy’s Writer’s Room. Her work has been featured by NPR, The Academy of American Poets, The Knight Foundation, and others.

Trey Rhone is a queer Black writer who hails from Augusta, Georgia, but now resides in Miami, Florida. He currently has an MFA from Florida International University. His work has appeared and is forthcoming in The Blue Mountain Review, Broadsided Press, BULL, Daily Drunk Magazine, Florida Review, Frozen Sea, MAYDAY, Olney Magazine, and Stirring Lit. If he isn't ranting about the latest music release, ask him to tell you a fun fact about his favorite animal, the possum.

Rani Ruado (he/they) is an award-winning poet, baker, first-generation Filipino-American, teacher, secretary, songstress, and amateur grandma. Born and raised in Miami, Florida, he is a recent graduate of FIU’s Creative Writing MFA program. If you ever need a karaoke partner, he is always available!

Nicole Tallman serves as the Poet Laureate of Miami-Dade County. Prior to serving as Poet Laureate, she served as the County’s Poetry Ambassador for five years. She is the author of five books, including her latest, Dolce Vita/Let There Be a Little Light, and her next, The Velvet Room, is forthcoming in April 2027. Nicole also serves as poetry and interviews editor for South Florida Poetry Journal, an editor and communications advisor for JackLeg Press, and an advisory board member for SWWIM (Supporting Women Writers in Miami). Find her on social media @natallman and at nicoletallman.com.