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! Too Negative Have your friends’ parents ever warned them away from you because they thought you were a bad influence? “Too Negative” is a poem about that experience. Sometimes a Voice (1) On a hot summer afternoon, Danny jumped off the boathouse roof without thinking of the consequences. Marshlands Quietly pause to take in the colours and sounds of a marsh. A Breakfast for Barbarians Come sit at this mythical table where guests eat the world’s mysteries for breakfast. My Papa’s Waltz The poet writes a complex poem about his relationship with his father. Letters In this tender poem tracing a lost love, the speaker holds on by letting things go… World Town Layers of memory paint a moving, vibrant portrait of one man’s time spent in a seaside town with his father. 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. from Exhibits from the American Water Museum Natalie Diaz mourns the violence committed against the Mojave people (and by extension, Indigenous people across North America) and bodies of water, inextricably connected from “Road Shoulders” the shoulder of the road gleams with the poet's attention 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. 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 Insomnia A dark, playful twist on what someone would do if they could only sleep… At the Centre In this poem of a woman in deep repose, her seeds of self-care begin to blossom. Picking Up a Dandelion A short and poignant poem, stretching out a brief moment of beauty. 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. sturgeon Intense with empathy, the poem places poet and struggling fish in direct physical relation. We Wear the Mask We Wear the Mask is a resilient and entrancing tug-of-war with external perceptions of self. I Lost My Talk How can you speak your deepest truth in a language that doesn’t understand you? I Feel the Sun This poem articulates the poet’s intense feeling about the sunlight after going through a long winter. From Correspondences Anne Michaels challenges us to find new maps to think about old experiences. How Not to Spill Do you hold your hands shut, or do you let everything spill out? 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.” 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. Two Hours on the Train In this deceptively simple poem, a poet on a journey transcends time. 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. from Cross River . Pick Lotus Sometimes a simple wish granted, especially a final one, can change everything. Dulce et Decorum Est Wilfred Owen brilliantly uses rhyme and meter in this brutal poem about a poison gas attack during WWI. Qawanguq with Fox Abigail Chabitnoy’s dreamscape of a poem depicts a coy little fox. The Potato Harvest This lonely poem is about so much more than a bare field. 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. 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. 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. Northern Light A poem about belonging when one doesn't feel like they are completely at home 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? Low Tide on Grand Pré The setting sun gives rise to a treasured memory of Grand Pré in this somber, rhythmic poem. Regardless This vibrant list poem celebrates the right to just Be. a good day The poet recalls the day she heard her father would die. Beat! Beat! Drums! With rich bombastic language and Whitman's trademark sprawling lines, this poem rallies troops for war. Pagination « First First page ‹ Previous Previous page 1 2 3 4 Next › Next page Last » Last page Language English