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! Two Hours on the Train In this deceptively simple poem, a poet on a journey transcends time. 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. 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. A Breakfast for Barbarians Come sit at this mythical table where guests eat the world’s mysteries for breakfast. The Swimmer’s Moment Will you choose to observe from the rim of the whirlpool, or its centre? The Dead This sonnet considers the fragmented, elusive way the dead resurface in our lives. The ABG (Able-Bodied Gaze) The abled-bodied gaze is an intrusive force in this poem, making a spectacle of a disabled body and attempting to reduce them to their impairment. grass In his short, funny poem, Ward Maxwell asks us to step on the grass, saying “it deserves it.” But isn’t that the point of grass? The ABG (Able-Bodied Gaze) The abled-bodied gaze is an intrusive force in this poem, making a spectacle of a disabled body and attempting to reduce them to their impairment. The Fish A dreamy poem diving into oceanic imagery, exploring time and change. 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.” The Powwow at the End of the World Sherman Alexie slams the environmental destruction of settler-colonialism as we travel on an upstream course towards the powwow at the end of the world. One Art When loss feels inevitable, sometimes the only thing to do is write it down… A Stone Diary A love poem to a stone takes on deeper, rockier meanings. the knowing Connie Fife cryptically combines land and body in this poem exploring connection to place and past. The Tyger In the woods at night, the speaker talks to a magical animal… Buen Esqueleto With its allusions and repetitions, “Buen Esqueleto” speaks powerfully on behalf of families caught in the contemporary U.S. border conflict. Dear Updike Evelyn Lau powerfully describes the world around her in order to grieve the loss of a beloved writer. The Blue Guitar In this glosa poem, P.K. Page strums out questions about being an artist and telling the truth. 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. Guanahani, 11 This bracing ballad (re)considers the beauty and history of the Caribbean island where Christopher Columbus first landed. From Red Doc In this poem-as-a-conversation, a man and his mother consider how the past lives on in the present. Beat! Beat! Drums! With rich bombastic language and Whitman's trademark sprawling lines, this poem rallies troops for war. My Papa’s Waltz The poet writes a complex poem about his relationship with his father. Two Hours on the Train In this deceptively simple poem, a poet on a journey transcends time. Dulce et Decorum Est Wilfred Owen brilliantly uses rhyme and meter in this brutal poem about a poison gas attack during WWI. Dulce et Decorum Est Wilfred Owen brilliantly uses rhyme and meter in this brutal poem about a poison gas attack during WWI. Planet Earth P.K. Page sings the praises of planet earth through extended metaphor and delightful constraint. Money A museum coin collection prompts a reflection on the captivating nature of currency. Letters In this tender poem tracing a lost love, the speaker holds on by letting things go… Dinosaur Economics In this poem, playful romanticization meets a stark awakening susiya Music binds and refreshes community Cold Solace Even after many months in the freezer, a honey cake calls up strong memories. Vancouver Lights This wartime poem looks out at Vancouver’s nighttime skyline and contemplates humanity. The Days of the Unicorns Phyllis Webb beautifully writes an ode to the majestic unicorn. 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. Plenty Who would have thought a trip to the grocery store could be so full of beauty? An Innocent Little Girl • Favzieh Rahgozar Barlas captures a snapshot of child marriage, its cultural and economic context, and its physical and emotional aftermath. 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 1992 Sometimes a scent or a site or a taste can sweep you up into the past. This finely honed narrative poem knows what that’s like. Pagination « First First page ‹ Previous Previous page 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next › Next page Last » Last page Language English