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! Vancouver Lights This wartime poem looks out at Vancouver’s nighttime skyline and contemplates humanity. “Breathe dust…” Nearly punctuation-free, this is a breathless journey through memories of a youth spent in rural Canada. Bad Brown Girl The poem tells the story of a young Arab woman caught between her culture and her North American upbringing. 400: Coming Home You can’t help thinking about your life on a long stretch of highway. My Papa’s Waltz The poet writes a complex poem about his relationship with his father. I’ve Tasted My Blood In this thunderous poem, the speaker proclaims his rage, anguish, and hope in the face of war and oppression. These Poems, She Said Can an argument be the foundation of a love poem? Robert Bringhurst certainly thinks so! Last Visit This poem invites you to discover the forms that outrage can take. Someday I’ll Love Ocean Vuong In this tender poem of healing, care and remembrance, Ocean Vuong reaches out to his younger self. Blank Sonnet Set in Halifax of the 1930s, this sensual, inebriated love poem plays with the sonnet form. The New Experience Join the speaker on a whirlwind journey towards a surprising realization. the knowing Connie Fife cryptically combines land and body in this poem exploring connection to place and past. Fast Commute Laurie Graham weathers an incongruous ice storm in this poem-excerpt that asks us to pause and understand that we are present here, “and with this understanding to start to hear.” I Am The speaker longs to escape himself and to find freedom from within and without “Breathe dust…” Nearly punctuation-free, this is a breathless journey through memories of a youth spent in rural Canada. From Red Doc In this poem-as-a-conversation, a man and his mother consider how the past lives on in the present. The Potato Harvest This lonely poem is about so much more than a bare field. Shots Rang Out on My Street Today The poem protests gun violence across multiple Black communities in Canada against the backdrop of reggae music. One Art When loss feels inevitable, sometimes the only thing to do is write it down… The Potato Harvest This lonely poem is about so much more than a bare field. Yellowjacket “Yellowjacket” explores the eerie way the dead make themselves at home in our lives. Money A museum coin collection prompts a reflection on the captivating nature of currency. Exculpatory Lilies ROOTED IN PROFOUND GRIEF, THIS POEM MAKES US LAUGH WHILE BREAKING OUR HEARTS. Two Words: A Wedding bpNichol presents life as a river of ever-changing words and asks us to step in. Late Prayer Erin Robinsong delivers a quiet and fierce prayer for life on Earth in an age of ecological destruction and oligarchical domination A Breakfast for Barbarians Come sit at this mythical table where guests eat the world’s mysteries for breakfast. From One and Half of You Trying on traditional clothing and finding how it fits. Or not. Autobiography of My Hungers A poem that explores private desire and longing, and the pain of homophobia. Insomnia A dark, playful twist on what someone would do if they could only sleep… Planet Earth P.K. Page sings the praises of planet earth through extended metaphor and delightful constraint. I Feel the Sun This poem articulates the poet’s intense feeling about the sunlight after going through a long winter. 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. The Blue Guitar In this glosa poem, P.K. Page strums out questions about being an artist and telling the truth. In Exile I Draw the Tower Card A poem that explores the loss of taken-for-granted abilities that lead to existential questions about oneself. 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. Community Garden Seeking to escape internet trolls the speaker turns her eye to the garden Childhood For Aracelis Girmay, “Childhood” is a place we can visit in our memories—and perhaps a place that moves on without us. The Tyger In the woods at night, the speaker talks to a magical animal… Privacy Ada Limón’s “Privacy” is a poem about loneliness and the limits of our understanding. Let the Ponies Out In this poem, a dramatic monologue, the speaker implores their father to do something both real and more real in its imagining. Pagination 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next › Next page Last » Last page Language English