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! fluorine Rita Wong uncovers the poisons in everyday life to teach us about our relationship to the natural world. Sometimes a Voice (1) On a hot summer afternoon, Danny jumped off the boathouse roof without thinking of the consequences. Money A museum coin collection prompts a reflection on the captivating nature of currency. The Tyger In the woods at night, the speaker talks to a magical animal… Qawanguq with Fox Abigail Chabitnoy’s dreamscape of a poem depicts a coy little fox. “Breathe dust…” Nearly punctuation-free, this is a breathless journey through memories of a youth spent in rural Canada. 400: Coming Home You can’t help thinking about your life on a long stretch of highway. Dulce et Decorum Est Wilfred Owen brilliantly uses rhyme and meter in this brutal poem about a poison gas attack during WWI. 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? Top The poet remembers a father lost long before his death. Fast Commute Laurie Graham weathers an incongruous ice storm in this poem-excerpt that asks us to pause and understand that we are present here, “and with this understanding to start to hear.” Dear Updike Evelyn Lau powerfully describes the world around her in order to grieve the loss of a beloved writer. 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. Dinosaur Economics In this poem, playful romanticization meets a stark awakening 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 Marshlands Quietly pause to take in the colours and sounds of a marsh. We Wear the Mask We Wear the Mask is a resilient and entrancing tug-of-war with external perceptions of 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. Where There’s a Wall Both beauty and violence are just on the other side of the wall. Beat! Beat! Drums! With rich bombastic language and Whitman's trademark sprawling lines, this poem rallies troops for war. Homage to the Mineral of the Onion (I) Could a vegetable be the antidote to war? This poem thinks so. 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 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. I Feel the Sun This poem articulates the poet’s intense feeling about the sunlight after going through a long winter. 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. Sonoma A dreamlike sense of the uncanny hangs over this poem of an encounter on a coastal highway. What Is Poetry Using only the letters in the title’s question, Holbrook generates a smorgasbord of weird and delightful answers. In Flanders Fields The dead summon us to action in this much-beloved poem of war. From One and Half of You Trying on traditional clothing and finding how it fits. Or not. I Have Something to Tell You In this surreal poem, a man made of cameras brings his unexpected concerns into sharper focus. 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. 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. from Cross River . Pick Lotus Sometimes a simple wish granted, especially a final one, can change everything. Planet Earth P.K. Page sings the praises of planet earth through extended metaphor and delightful constraint. Late Prayer Erin Robinsong delivers a quiet and fierce prayer for life on Earth in an age of ecological destruction and oligarchical domination 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. 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. Opus 75, Sestina in B-flat for the Glockenspiel A silent glockenspiel plays out a teenage girl’s anxieties about growing up and fitting in. Pagination 1 2 3 4 Next › Next page Last » Last page Language English