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! 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 How Not to Spill Do you hold your hands shut, or do you let everything spill out? I Carried My Father Across the Sea An elegy, both surreal and heartfelt, that explores a son’s grief over his father’s death. From Correspondences Anne Michaels challenges us to find new maps to think about old experiences. 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 the knowing Connie Fife cryptically combines land and body in this poem exploring connection to place and past. From Red Doc In this poem-as-a-conversation, a man and his mother consider how the past lives on in the present. Where There’s a Wall Both beauty and violence are just on the other side of the wall. 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. 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. 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.” The Swimmer’s Moment Will you choose to observe from the rim of the whirlpool, or its centre? another set of instructions An abstract musing on world-building, becoming, water and rebirth. A poem that asks you to pay attention to your surroundings and yourself. 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. Shots Rang Out on My Street Today The poem protests gun violence across multiple Black communities in Canada against the backdrop of reggae music. I Feel the Sun This poem articulates the poet’s intense feeling about the sunlight after going through a long winter. Reluctance Even after you’ve jumped all the fences, climbed all the hills, and looked at the world, it can be hard to accept how you feel… Community Garden Seeking to escape internet trolls the speaker turns her eye to the garden sturgeon Intense with empathy, the poem places poet and struggling fish in direct physical relation. Insomnia A dark, playful twist on what someone would do if they could only sleep… The Potato Harvest This lonely poem is about so much more than a bare field. A Fixed Idea Musical and haunting, Amy Lowell’s “A Fixed Idea” is a sonnet that speaks to pain and conflict. 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.” dont worry yr hair Having a bad day? This uplifting poem about the power of our inner potential should light a spark. I Lost My Talk How can you speak your deepest truth in a language that doesn’t understand you? The Days of the Unicorns Phyllis Webb beautifully writes an ode to the majestic unicorn. Last Visit This poem invites you to discover the forms that outrage can take. 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. 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.” 400: Coming Home You can’t help thinking about your life on a long stretch of highway. Aliens Visit the Islands In “Aliens Visit the Islands,” Terese Mason Pierre describes an extraterrestrial landing in the Caribbean that subverts familiar sci-fi tropes. Editing the Prairie If the prairie was a written story, imagine the rejection letter it might get! 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. Let the Ponies Out In this poem, a dramatic monologue, the speaker implores their father to do something both real and more real in its imagining. the knowing Connie Fife cryptically combines land and body in this poem exploring connection to place and past. Shots Rang Out on My Street Today The poem protests gun violence across multiple Black communities in Canada against the backdrop of reggae music. Guanahani, 11 This bracing ballad (re)considers the beauty and history of the Caribbean island where Christopher Columbus first landed. World Town Layers of memory paint a moving, vibrant portrait of one man’s time spent in a seaside town with his father. 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. Two Hours on the Train In this deceptively simple poem, a poet on a journey transcends time. Pagination 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next › Next page Last » Last page Language English