When T.S. Eliot wrote, “April is the cruelest month,” he wasn’t thinking of Bainbridge Island.

The submission deadline for the 25th Poetry Corners, the annual contest that marries art and local business, will close Feb. 29. After a brief hibernation, during which a selection committee will choose up to 30 winners, the poems will re-emerge in the windows of businesses along Winslow Way April 1.

Every April is Poetry Month, and arts officials on BI coordinate a number of events to inspire folks to try out poetry. There are readings at Ars Poetica, classes by poets and a haiku competition — plus open mics at cafes and event spaces, which also occur year-round.

Kathleen Thorne, president of the Bainbridge Island Poet Laureate, said that the Poetry Corners contest draws more than just a stray stanza of rhyming couplets. There’s a lot of talent here, she said, and the contest is a way to introduce poetry to people who may not be exposed to the art form. “By exhibiting poetry in unexpected places such as storefronts and public venues, Poetry Corners encourages Bainbridge Island residents to slow down, read a poem and take a moment to reflect. And maybe even contribute next year,” Thorne said.

“Ecopoetry” is the theme of this year’s poems. “We decided to include a theme this year to draw a more diverse group of entries and perhaps appeal to people who might be at a loss as to how to get started on a poem, but felt a strong connection to their natural environment,” Thorne said. “It’s a prompt, but one that we hope will result in many interpretations.”

Poetry Corners, which has been going on in some form since 1999, is part of a larger initiative of the city’s Poet Laureate Program, which was founded last year, but has integrated public writing projects. The inaugural poet laureate is Michele Bombardier. She approaches her work from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s definition of poetry as a “true universal, part of all cultures across time.” She said poetry is for everyone.

“Poetry is an art form with the power to create empathy, provide new perspectives, and expand our understanding of ourselves, each other and our world,” Bombardier said. “Bainbridge, with its rich cultural history, natural beauty and community that values art, is a natural place for poetry to thrive.”

If readers would like to submit a poem, they can do so here.