The house with the 6-foot banner, poems and illustrations on Ninth Avenue near the zoo belongs to Lance Pyle. Stop and say hello. He’s happy to see you.
Pyle has displayed banners, original poetry and drawings in front of his house since 2023. His goal is to bring joy to the neighborhood.
“Every once in a while, someone stops and reads and I catch them on my Ring,” Pyle says.
“Then I see them walking away laughing. I didn’t know why I was (writing poetry) until I heard people laughing. That’s why I’m doing it. I don’t write for myself. It does no good to write a poem and just leave it there. You have to share it with somebody. All art is for other people.”
For four decades, Pyle expressed himself through work as an architect. “Architecture culminated in all my talents: drawing, designing, thinking,” he says.
He loved his work but quit in 2010 when diagnosed with throat cancer. Treatment removed part of his tongue. He had to learn to speak again.
Pyle was “bored and disappointed” during recovery. Then his grandson made a simple request: Tell me a poem or riddle. Pyle made up something on the spot for the 5-year-old. A passion was born.
Now the Missouri native has written more than 400 poems and 100 books. His books for children feature silly, educational poems accompanied by illustrations inspired by Shel Silverstein.
“Some poems are good but need a picture to fully understand the depth of what I’m saying,” Pyle says. “Being in architecture helped me. There’s a technical side and also an artistic side. I’m well steeped in both sides, which helps in my poetry.”
To share his work, Pyle contacted local elementary schools and asked to read to classes. He’s received hundreds of thank you notes from kids enamored with “Peter Blueberry”—his pen name—and imaginative words.
He reads at libraries and senior communities. He says, “seniors still have the spirit of a child inside of them for me to reach.”
Pyle also writes adult books. “Sacramento Magic,” a book of poetry, art and photography, is an ode to his favorite city where he’s lived since 1985.
“Having lived all over and finally landing in Sacramento, it’s a very unique city to me,” Pyle says. “Many are just cities, but Sacramento has a life to me. It’s an entity.”
When not writing, drawing or taking photos, Pyle makes music. He started playing guitar at 18 but never wrote music until he was recovering. Now he’s authored more than 100 songs and occasionally performs with friends.
“I just let it flow through my head and see what comes out,” Pyle says. “I can’t read or write music, I can only play chords, but I have a feeling of music. It’s such a pleasure to be able to do that.”
Find Pyle’s books on Amazon and music on YouTube. Email lance_pyle@comcast.net.
Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento.
