Poetry on Buses

I am pleased that your reporter was so inspired by the Poetry in Motion program that he developed his own ditty (“MTA Buses Adding Rhyme to the Ride,” Oct. 2)!

Catchy rhymes should not, however, be confused with the work of professional, published poets appearing aboard every Metro bus, courtesy of the Poetry Society of America and the Getty Research Institute. I have received several calls from bus riders who have unexpectedly discovered--and enjoyed--works by Langston Hughes, Sylvia Plath, Octavio Paz, Wanda Coleman, Marisela Norte, Chungmi Kim and others as they travel across the city.

The PSA and the Getty are to be applauded for enhancing the journeys of millions of daily public-transit riders with first-rate poetry. Poetry in Motion has enjoyed tremendous success in other cities and we are honored to have it in Los Angeles.

MAYA EMSDEN

Director, MTA Metro Art