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. 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. Salmon Courage Deep bravery can emerge amid clashing familial hopes and truths. M. NourbeSe Philip shows us how. 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. Yellowjacket “Yellowjacket” explores the eerie way the dead make themselves at home in our lives. 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. Death of a Young Son by Drowning Blurring time but clarifying feeling, this poem gives voice to a mother who loses a son and gains a country. Laurentian Shield This portrait of a rocky, silent Canadian landscape speaks to the country’s limitations and its potential. These Poems, She Said Can an argument be the foundation of a love poem? Robert Bringhurst certainly thinks so! 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. Late Prayer Erin Robinsong delivers a quiet and fierce prayer for life on Earth in an age of ecological destruction and oligarchical domination 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. I Lost My Talk How can you speak your deepest truth in a language that doesn’t understand you? Community Garden Seeking to escape internet trolls the speaker turns her eye to the garden i am graffiti This poem vibrates with anger and defiance in the wake of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The Fish A dreamy poem diving into oceanic imagery, exploring time and change. We Wear the Mask We Wear the Mask is a resilient and entrancing tug-of-war with external perceptions of self. Fear of Snakes The life of a snake and the memory of girlhood trauma are told in sinuously entwined language. 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? I Am The speaker longs to escape himself and to find freedom from within and without 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. Sometimes a Voice (1) On a hot summer afternoon, Danny jumped off the boathouse roof without thinking of the consequences. Cold Solace Even after many months in the freezer, a honey cake calls up strong memories. 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. fluorine Rita Wong uncovers the poisons in everyday life to teach us about our relationship to the natural world. Dear Updike Evelyn Lau powerfully describes the world around her in order to grieve the loss of a beloved writer. “Breathe dust…” Nearly punctuation-free, this is a breathless journey through memories of a youth spent in rural Canada. Low Tide on Grand Pré The setting sun gives rise to a treasured memory of Grand Pré in this somber, rhythmic poem. Vancouver Lights This wartime poem looks out at Vancouver’s nighttime skyline and contemplates humanity. Editing the Prairie If the prairie was a written story, imagine the rejection letter it might get! 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. Buen Esqueleto With its allusions and repetitions, “Buen Esqueleto” speaks powerfully on behalf of families caught in the contemporary U.S. border conflict. The Potato Harvest This lonely poem is about so much more than a bare field. Radishes Ange Mlinko’s consideration of the radish introduces a constellation of characters and feelings, inviting reflection on nostalgia and the passing of time. The Bull Moose A moose's final, tortured moments unfold in a series of brutal images. A Stone Diary A love poem to a stone takes on deeper, rockier meanings. One Art When loss feels inevitable, sometimes the only thing to do is write it down… aubade for the BPD subreddit user who wrote can people with BPD love? The stunningly cruel comments of an internet forum reverberate throughout a sleepless night susiya Music binds and refreshes community Pagination « First First page ‹ Previous Previous page 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next › Next page Last » Last page Language English