Third Place: Beautiful Harvest by Paul Steven Lewis

We’ve been through a lot of painful things this year

An empty closet of space in our minds for fear

Justice demanded by brothers and sisters of color

While we all pray to God for our sick to recover

As the days grow shorter, and temperatures diminish

The beauty of the Earth and the harvest soon replenish

The goodness of people and their willingness to love

Those in our community who suffer but then rise above

Susan’s Comments

A hopeful message ends this poem that looks back over a difficult year thus far. 

Paul’s Bio

Paul has worked for the City of Orlando as a planner for the past 34 years. He is known throughout Florida as an expert in growth management and sustainability, population and economic forecasting, aviation land use planning, and parks and open space planning. Paul has extensive experience in creating and implementing nationally recognized New Urbanism projects in both infill (Baldwin Park) and greenfield (Lake Nona/Medical City) locations. He is a strong advocate for Healthy Community Design, as evidenced by his work on the APA Florida Chapter-award winning Parramore Comprehensive Neighborhood Plan. In 2016, Paul was inducted into the American Institute of Certified Planners – College of Fellows. Aside from work, Paul is a musician, songwriter/lyricist, and poet.