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! Declaration of Intent Rita Wong invokes the "sacred bond" of water in this poem that invites us to learn from watersheds, and to act in their defense. Sonoma A dreamlike sense of the uncanny hangs over this poem of an encounter on a coastal highway. My Poem Without Me in It Imagining herself removed from her own poem, a poet realizes how poetry gives her the space to create herself. 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. Echolalia Exploring the tension between desire and satisfaction, this is “a poem that you have to kiss your way through without being kissed,” says Williams. The Fatigue Fatigue is often the first sign something is wrong with one's body. Fatigue looms larger than life in this poem which grapples with meds, family, and coping. These Poems, She Said Can an argument be the foundation of a love poem? Robert Bringhurst certainly thinks so! Dear Updike Evelyn Lau powerfully describes the world around her in order to grieve the loss of a beloved writer. Letters In this tender poem tracing a lost love, the speaker holds on by letting things go… Buen Esqueleto With its allusions and repetitions, “Buen Esqueleto” speaks powerfully on behalf of families caught in the contemporary U.S. border conflict. The Fish A dreamy poem diving into oceanic imagery, exploring time and change. i am graffiti This poem vibrates with anger and defiance in the wake of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. 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. 400: Coming Home You can’t help thinking about your life on a long stretch of highway. Five Postcards from Jericho Postcards to regret, to time, to anyone at all fluorine Rita Wong uncovers the poisons in everyday life to teach us about our relationship to the natural world. Pale Blue Cover In this nostalgic poem, the speaker reminisces about the author Matt Cohen. Qawanguq with Fox Abigail Chabitnoy’s dreamscape of a poem depicts a coy little fox. A Net I Seek to Hold the Wind A wildfire is personified as a ravenous, insatiable creature. Joseph Kidney contemplates loss and the act of continued living alongside an unfolding disaster. I Lost My Talk How can you speak your deepest truth in a language that doesn’t understand you? The Bull Moose A moose's final, tortured moments unfold in a series of brutal images. Dulce et Decorum Est Wilfred Owen brilliantly uses rhyme and meter in this brutal poem about a poison gas attack during WWI. From the Catalogue of Cruelty “From the Catalogue of Cruelty” reminisces on a series of hurtful acts the speaker committed in her childhood and folds in generational violence, state violence, and Greek myth. Yellowjacket “Yellowjacket” explores the eerie way the dead make themselves at home in our lives. The Swimmer’s Moment Will you choose to observe from the rim of the whirlpool, or its centre? We Wear the Mask We Wear the Mask is a resilient and entrancing tug-of-war with external perceptions of self. The Blue Guitar In this glosa poem, P.K. Page strums out questions about being an artist and telling the truth. Letters In this tender poem tracing a lost love, the speaker holds on by letting things go… Other In Other, Livesay breaks free of patriarchy’s hold and ventures into landscapes of mountain, cedar forests, night skies, and the fierce interior of her spirit. Mantra of No Return It is possible to travel home when one has never been there. This poem does. The New Experience Join the speaker on a whirlwind journey towards a surprising realization. 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 Picking Up a Dandelion A short and poignant poem, stretching out a brief moment of beauty. Late Prayer Erin Robinsong delivers a quiet and fierce prayer for life on Earth in an age of ecological destruction and oligarchical domination 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. I Have Something to Tell You In this surreal poem, a man made of cameras brings his unexpected concerns into sharper focus. Beat! Beat! Drums! With rich bombastic language and Whitman's trademark sprawling lines, this poem rallies troops for war. The Potato Harvest This lonely poem is about so much more than a bare field. Community Garden Seeking to escape internet trolls the speaker turns her eye to the garden One Art When loss feels inevitable, sometimes the only thing to do is write it down… Pagination « First First page ‹ Previous Previous page 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next › Next page Last » Last page Language English