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! “Breathe dust…” Nearly punctuation-free, this is a breathless journey through memories of a youth spent in rural Canada. Community Garden Seeking to escape internet trolls the speaker turns her eye to the garden 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 400: Coming Home You can’t help thinking about your life on a long stretch of highway. For My Best Friend One way to grieve is to give tribute, perhaps even before the person you are grieving is completely gone. Picking Up a Dandelion A short and poignant poem, stretching out a brief moment of beauty. The Days of the Unicorns Phyllis Webb beautifully writes an ode to the majestic unicorn. Plenty Who would have thought a trip to the grocery store could be so full of beauty? The Fish A dreamy poem diving into oceanic imagery, exploring time and change. The Dead This sonnet considers the fragmented, elusive way the dead resurface in our lives. The Potato Harvest This lonely poem is about so much more than a bare field. Blank Sonnet Set in Halifax of the 1930s, this sensual, inebriated love poem plays with the sonnet form. Regardless This vibrant list poem celebrates the right to just Be. The Bow What flows through a name, and a name, and a name? The Lonely Land In this free verse poem, snapshots of a wild landscape show that beauty and conflict are not mutually exclusive — and that one may be derived from the other. 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. These Poems, She Said Can an argument be the foundation of a love poem? Robert Bringhurst certainly thinks so! Low Tide on Grand Pré The setting sun gives rise to a treasured memory of Grand Pré in this somber, rhythmic poem. World Town Layers of memory paint a moving, vibrant portrait of one man’s time spent in a seaside town with his father. Two Words: A Wedding bpNichol presents life as a river of ever-changing words and asks us to step in. 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. Pale Blue Cover In this nostalgic poem, the speaker reminisces about the author Matt Cohen. 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. Not the Music In Not in the Music, Crozier explores the inviolable: the sacred parts of ourselves that we cherish as personal sanctuaries. Dulce et Decorum Est Wilfred Owen brilliantly uses rhyme and meter in this brutal poem about a poison gas attack during WWI. Buen Esqueleto With its allusions and repetitions, “Buen Esqueleto” speaks powerfully on behalf of families caught in the contemporary U.S. border conflict. from “Road Shoulders” the shoulder of the road gleams with the poet's attention At the Centre In this poem of a woman in deep repose, her seeds of self-care begin to blossom. Insomnia A dark, playful twist on what someone would do if they could only sleep… Sonoma A dreamlike sense of the uncanny hangs over this poem of an encounter on a coastal highway. Vancouver Lights This wartime poem looks out at Vancouver’s nighttime skyline and contemplates humanity. I’ve Tasted My Blood In this thunderous poem, the speaker proclaims his rage, anguish, and hope in the face of war and oppression. Weed Killer Fiona Tinwei Lam moves from personal to universal and back to the personal in this chilling poem about the ecological destruction bequeathed from one generation to the next. World Town Layers of memory paint a moving, vibrant portrait of one man’s time spent in a seaside town with his father. The Dead This sonnet considers the fragmented, elusive way the dead resurface in our lives. Application Form Identity is elusive. Maybe it doesn’t exist at all. Sweet Like a Crow This tumbling, outrageous list poem is a backhanded ode to a child’s less-than-melodious singing voice. Money A museum coin collection prompts a reflection on the captivating nature of currency. 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. I Feel the Sun This poem articulates the poet’s intense feeling about the sunlight after going through a long winter. Pagination 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next › Next page Last » Last page Language English