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! 400: Coming Home You can’t help thinking about your life on a long stretch of highway. 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? Full Metal Oji-Cree That’s ok, our robomocassins will outlive you nine times over. Salmon Courage Deep bravery can emerge amid clashing familial hopes and truths. M. NourbeSe Philip shows us how. 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. 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. Picking Up a Dandelion A short and poignant poem, stretching out a brief moment of beauty. 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. Insomnia A dark, playful twist on what someone would do if they could only sleep… Where There’s a Wall Both beauty and violence are just on the other side of the wall. Guanahani, 11 This bracing ballad (re)considers the beauty and history of the Caribbean island where Christopher Columbus first landed. 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. One Art When loss feels inevitable, sometimes the only thing to do is write it down… 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. The Tyger In the woods at night, the speaker talks to a magical animal… World Town Layers of memory paint a moving, vibrant portrait of one man’s time spent in a seaside town with his father. At the Centre In this poem of a woman in deep repose, her seeds of self-care begin to blossom. Pale Blue Cover In this nostalgic poem, the speaker reminisces about the author Matt Cohen. Vancouver Lights This wartime poem looks out at Vancouver’s nighttime skyline and contemplates humanity. people arrived Tracing and traveling with Kaie Kellough’s verse, the people in this poem plead to have their pulses read out loud. Marshlands Quietly pause to take in the colours and sounds of a marsh. 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 fluorine Rita Wong uncovers the poisons in everyday life to teach us about our relationship to the natural world. 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. 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. Homage to the Mineral of the Onion (I) Could a vegetable be the antidote to war? This poem thinks so. 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. I Feel the Sun This poem articulates the poet’s intense feeling about the sunlight after going through a long winter. 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. “Breathe dust…” Nearly punctuation-free, this is a breathless journey through memories of a youth spent in rural Canada. 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. Dinosaur Economics In this poem, playful romanticization meets a stark awakening Someday I’ll Love Ocean Vuong In this tender poem of healing, care and remembrance, Ocean Vuong reaches out to his younger self. April 30, 2014 One spring day, dreading an afternoon appointment that will dredge up all kinds of terrible memories, the speaker of the poem focuses on the natural world around her. Planet Earth P.K. Page sings the praises of planet earth through extended metaphor and delightful constraint. Not the Music In Not in the Music, Crozier explores the inviolable: the sacred parts of ourselves that we cherish as personal sanctuaries. What Is Poetry Using only the letters in the title’s question, Holbrook generates a smorgasbord of weird and delightful answers. 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. Low Tide on Grand Pré The setting sun gives rise to a treasured memory of Grand Pré in this somber, rhythmic poem. Northern Light A poem about belonging when one doesn't feel like they are completely at home Pagination 1 2 3 4 Next › Next page Last » Last page Language English