Back in May, the city of Anaheim held its annual a fundraiser for the Anaheim Community Foundation. I had the honor of performing a pre-recorded poem for the event. I hope you enjoy this poem entitled, “for the ones who built their home on the river.”
about the poem
When asked to perform this poem, I knew I wanted to write my city towards the future. I spent a lot of time considering what “writing us into the future” would look like. I chose to focus on rivers because they symbolize life and nourishment. It was an easy image to land on because the name Anaheim means “river home.”



I’m the first Poet Laureate to speak at the state of the city event for Anaheim. Holding this weight allowed me to think beyond the assignment. My intention was to create a poem that would serve as a benediction for a difficult future (a future that we are, unfortunately, now living in). Sometimes, there’s a difference between writing for a difficult time and letting your writing be timeless. I knew this poem was meant to speak into both options. So I decided to ensure this poem could exist beyond me. I created a new notebook to document my writing process through each page. There’s lists, freewrites, brainstorming, idea mapping, drafts, journal entries, inspiring quotes and narrative structures. (The last two are pictured above.) I donated this notebook to the city of Anaheim’s heritage foundation where it is saved as a historical document within our city’s archives. Next time you visit Anaheim, check out the downtown heritage center and ask to see my writing notebook.
Great poem and reading!
https://substack.com/@poetpastor/note/p-162111734?r=5gejob&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action