Library employee's poem receives top honor by O, Miami

A dream came true for Miami-Dade Public Library System’s Luz Rossy when she saw her poem displayed on a billboard in downtown Miami for all to see.

At the encouragement of one of her colleagues, Rossy, who serves as a Library Assistant 3 at the Westchester Library Health and Wellness Information Center, submitted her Zip Ode, a five-line poem inspired by the poet’s zip code where each number determines the number of words in each line to the O, Miami Poetry Festival’s [Your poem here] campaign. Her original poem, an homage to her abuela, or grandmother, was selected as the winner out of more than 1,500 entries.

3 My name came
3 from my abuela
1 and
2 she said
5 we can share it forever.

Rossy’s poem has resonated with our community and has received lots of positive feedback on social media. It’s now featured on a billboard at the corner of NE 8th Street and Biscayne Boulevard across the street from the Kaseya Center through April 23.

"To have my poem on display in front of so many people is an honor and a privilege," said Rossy. "Simply said, it's a significant moment for my grandmother and me. I'm thrilled that people appreciate it and I value the support and encouragement that I've received in spreading my love of poetry." Sharing her love of poetry and encouraging others to find their poem within is why Rossy, who has been working with he library for nearly four years, recently started the Library Poetry Society at the Westchester Library Health and Wellness Information Center. The biweekly program for teens and adults provides a friendly, welcoming space for patrons to connect with their emotions and the experiences of others through poetry.

"I think, too often, we see the idea of a poet being a certain type of person. Like you have to be like William Shakespeare to be considered a poet. And honestly, that's not true at all," Rossy said during an interview with WLRN 93.1 FM. "Everyone has their own identity and their own poem in them."