These poems each have a set of guided questions, related videos that allow for deeper investigation, and suggested writing activities. We'll be adding more poems here soon! Two Hours on the Train In this deceptively simple poem, a poet on a journey transcends time. Sweet Like a Crow This tumbling, outrageous list poem is a backhanded ode to a child’s less-than-melodious singing voice. Jesse's Farm Sadiqa de Meijer reckons with environmental degradation and motherhood in this poem that asks whether showing our children “the beloved world” is enough. Common Magic Do you ever wonder how anything gets done when we’re all swirling in our own galaxies of thought and experience? This poem does too. Guanahani, 11 This bracing ballad (re)considers the beauty and history of the Caribbean island where Christopher Columbus first landed. from Cross River . Pick Lotus Sometimes a simple wish granted, especially a final one, can change everything. We Wear the Mask We Wear the Mask is a resilient and entrancing tug-of-war with external perceptions of self. Marshlands Quietly pause to take in the colours and sounds of a marsh. A Breakfast for Barbarians Come sit at this mythical table where guests eat the world’s mysteries for breakfast. Death of a Young Son by Drowning Blurring time but clarifying feeling, this poem gives voice to a mother who loses a son and gains a country. Un Docteur Anglophone Traduit Les Inquiétudes De Son Patient Avec Google/An English Speaking Doctor Translates the Concerns of his Patient with Google This bilingual poem expresses the limitations of understanding across languages when experiences become lost in translation. One Art When loss feels inevitable, sometimes the only thing to do is write it down… The Powwow at the End of the World Sherman Alexie slams the environmental destruction of settler-colonialism as we travel on an upstream course towards the powwow at the end of the world. Someday I'll Love Ocean Vuong In this tender poem of healing, care and remembrance, Ocean Vuong reaches out to his younger self. Good Day Villanelle Is this a painful poem about a funny memory, or a funny poem about a painful memory? The Bow What flows through a name, and a name, and a name? My Grandmother Washes Her Feet in the Sink of the Bathroom at Sears A clash of cultures in a department store bathroom showcases pride and power in the towns matrons as well as the space in the middle where the speaker lives Late Prayer Erin Robinsong delivers a quiet and fierce prayer for life on Earth in an age of ecological destruction and oligarchical domination fluorine Rita Wong uncovers the poisons in everyday life to teach us about our relationship to the natural world. I’ll Teach You Cree By sharing with us the untranslatable aspects of Cree culture, Scofield immerses the reader with the sensorial experiences that deepen the bonds of community. The Blue Guitar In this glosa poem, P.K. Page strums out questions about being an artist and telling the truth. These Poems, She Said Can an argument be the foundation of a love poem? Robert Bringhurst certainly thinks so! Sometimes a Voice (1) On a hot summer afternoon, Danny jumped off the boathouse roof without thinking of the consequences. An Innocent Little Girl • Favzieh Rahgozar Barlas captures a snapshot of child marriage, its cultural and economic context, and its physical and emotional aftermath. Laurentian Shield This portrait of a rocky, silent Canadian landscape speaks to the country’s limitations and its potential. Planet Earth P.K. Page sings the praises of planet earth through extended metaphor and delightful constraint. Gayatri A selfie with no one in it surprisingly captures the magic of a childhood friendship. La Belle Dame sans Merci: A Ballad What would you ask a knight if you found him alone and palely loitering along a barren path? Dear Updike Evelyn Lau powerfully describes the world around her in order to grieve the loss of a beloved writer. Where There’s a Wall Both beauty and violence are just on the other side of the wall. What Is Poetry Using only the letters in the title’s question, Holbrook generates a smorgasbord of weird and delightful answers. Two Words: A Wedding bpNichol presents life as a river of ever-changing words and asks us to step in. But I’m No One But I’m No one is a reflection on our tendency to fear death and the manifestation of this fear through uncanny beliefs. Plenty Who would have thought a trip to the grocery store could be so full of beauty? the ghosts of women once girls Poet Aja Monet reveals both gladness and sadness from a little girl enraptured by literature. niya A physical encounter with a stranger ignites a fire of emotions about how to express the trauma of settlement and life in a colonial, urban environment. Full Metal Oji-Cree That’s ok, our robomocassins will outlive you nine times over. I Feel the Sun This poem articulates the poet’s intense feeling about the sunlight after going through a long winter. Vancouver Lights This wartime poem looks out at Vancouver’s nighttime skyline and contemplates humanity. Five Postcards from Jericho Postcards to regret, to time, to anyone at all Language English