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! 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. A Breakfast for Barbarians Come sit at this mythical table where guests eat the world’s mysteries for breakfast. The Problem With Being a Box Too Small for Its Contents Misch expounds the unbearable work needed after a breakup: to separate from your lost love and “rejoin yourselves…even when you don’t want to.” I’ve Tasted My Blood In this thunderous poem, the speaker proclaims his rage, anguish, and hope in the face of war and oppression. The Days of the Unicorns Phyllis Webb beautifully writes an ode to the majestic unicorn. “Breathe dust…” Nearly punctuation-free, this is a breathless journey through memories of a youth spent in rural Canada. The Trick The body and the mind are intimately linked and cannot be divorced from each other. Famous In Famous, Naomi Nye speaks to the relationship between objects and the ideas they represent. She is as famous to the poem as the poem is famous its words. Picking Up a Dandelion A short and poignant poem, stretching out a brief moment of beauty. The New Experience Join the speaker on a whirlwind journey towards a surprising realization. Plenty Who would have thought a trip to the grocery store could be so full of beauty? 1992 Sometimes a scent or a site or a taste can sweep you up into the past. This finely honed narrative poem knows what that’s like. From Correspondences Anne Michaels challenges us to find new maps to think about old experiences. Laurentian Shield This portrait of a rocky, silent Canadian landscape speaks to the country’s limitations and its potential. At the Centre In this poem of a woman in deep repose, her seeds of self-care begin to blossom. We Wear the Mask We Wear the Mask is a resilient and entrancing tug-of-war with external perceptions of self. Modestine A woman writes a tender poem about her dad’s struggle with dementia. The Visions of Stone Carrier In this dreamlike piece exploring memory and primogeniture, N. Scott Momaday casts a haunting spell that transports the reader through mystery and reminiscence. From Red Doc In this poem-as-a-conversation, a man and his mother consider how the past lives on in the present. What Is Poetry Using only the letters in the title’s question, Holbrook generates a smorgasbord of weird and delightful answers. In Flanders Fields The dead summon us to action in this much-beloved poem of war. Reluctance Even after you’ve jumped all the fences, climbed all the hills, and looked at the world, it can be hard to accept how you feel… Low Tide on Grand Pré The setting sun gives rise to a treasured memory of Grand Pré in this somber, rhythmic poem. Chemo Side Effects: Memory The stop-start, grasping form of this poem mirrors the speaker's struggle to reconcile herself with one of the side effects of cancer treatment. Marshlands Quietly pause to take in the colours and sounds of a marsh. Two Hours on the Train In this deceptively simple poem, a poet on a journey transcends time. The New Experience Join the speaker on a whirlwind journey towards a surprising realization. Money A museum coin collection prompts a reflection on the captivating nature of currency. 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 The Dead This sonnet considers the fragmented, elusive way the dead resurface in our lives. I saw a perfect tree today Lillian Allen praises the rampant diversity of trees in Northern Ontario and asks us to see perfection in difference. A Stone Diary A love poem to a stone takes on deeper, rockier meanings. Beat! Beat! Drums! With rich bombastic language and Whitman's trademark sprawling lines, this poem rallies troops for war. Editing the Prairie If the prairie was a written story, imagine the rejection letter it might get! people arrived Tracing and traveling with Kaie Kellough’s verse, the people in this poem plead to have their pulses read out loud. Not the Music In Not in the Music, Crozier explores the inviolable: the sacred parts of ourselves that we cherish as personal sanctuaries. My sister cries the sea In this poem of environmental apocalypse, Mordecai pictures a divided planet as her sister, listening to the voices of plants and fish as they mourn habitat destruction in creole Money A museum coin collection prompts a reflection on the captivating nature of currency. Fear of Snakes The life of a snake and the memory of girlhood trauma are told in sinuously entwined language. Pagination 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next › Next page Last » Last page Language English