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! Sometimes a Voice (1) On a hot summer afternoon, Danny jumped off the boathouse roof without thinking of the consequences. Dear Updike Evelyn Lau powerfully describes the world around her in order to grieve the loss of a beloved writer. from Cross River . Pick Lotus Sometimes a simple wish granted, especially a final one, can change everything. The Tyger In the woods at night, the speaker talks to a magical animal… From One and Half of You Trying on traditional clothing and finding how it fits. Or not. Blank Sonnet Set in Halifax of the 1930s, this sensual, inebriated love poem plays with the sonnet form. Sweet Like a Crow This tumbling, outrageous list poem is a backhanded ode to a child’s less-than-melodious singing voice. 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. Journey of the Magi One of the three wise men who travelled to Bethlehem upon the birth of Jesus Christ describes his version of the story and the emotional upheaval he experiences from witnessing a miracle that shatters his previous beliefs and way of life. Vancouver Lights This wartime poem looks out at Vancouver’s nighttime skyline and contemplates humanity. A Breakfast for Barbarians Come sit at this mythical table where guests eat the world’s mysteries for breakfast. The Bull Moose A moose's final, tortured moments unfold in a series of brutal images. Homage to the Mineral of the Onion (I) Could a vegetable be the antidote to war? This poem thinks so. The Trick The body and the mind are intimately linked and cannot be divorced from each other. 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. Poor Speaker Yep, the speaker gets what you're trying to say. Qawanguq with Fox Abigail Chabitnoy’s dreamscape of a poem depicts a coy little fox. 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. Someday I’ll Love Ocean Vuong In this tender poem of healing, care and remembrance, Ocean Vuong reaches out to his younger self. Community Garden Seeking to escape internet trolls the speaker turns her eye to the garden Passing into Storm Through an objective lens, this poem, which could be a trailer for a horror movie, describes a white man deliberately walking into a snow storm. To what end? Tide Both stark and tender, this poem is about Reena Virk, a BC teen of South Asian descent who was assaulted and murdered by her peers in 1997. the ghosts of women once girls Poet Aja Monet reveals both gladness and sadness from a little girl enraptured by literature. 400: Coming Home You can’t help thinking about your life on a long stretch of highway. 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… Before the Birth of One of Her Children This frank, devout poem confronts the risks facing a 17th-century woman in childbirth. I Feel the Sun This poem articulates the poet’s intense feeling about the sunlight after going through a long winter. Laurentian Shield This portrait of a rocky, silent Canadian landscape speaks to the country’s limitations and its potential. Beat! Beat! Drums! With rich bombastic language and Whitman's trademark sprawling lines, this poem rallies troops for war. An English Speaking Doctor Translates the Concerns of his Patient with Google/Un Docteur Anglophone Traduit Les Inquiétudes De Son Patient Avec Google This bilingual poem expresses the limitations of understanding across languages when experiences become lost in translation. 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. The Fish A dreamy poem diving into oceanic imagery, exploring time and change. Fear of Snakes The life of a snake and the memory of girlhood trauma are told in sinuously entwined language. Letters In this tender poem tracing a lost love, the speaker holds on by letting things go… 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. I’ve Tasted My Blood In this thunderous poem, the speaker proclaims his rage, anguish, and hope in the face of war and oppression. 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. susiya Music binds and refreshes community Thou Poem A poet reveals the happiest and unhappiest parts of their poetry – in conversation with a poem. 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. Pagination « First First page ‹ Previous Previous page 1 2 3 4 Next › Next page Last » Last page Language English