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! Full Metal Oji-Cree That’s ok, our robomocassins will outlive you nine times over. people arrived Tracing and traveling with Kaie Kellough’s verse, the people in this poem plead to have their pulses read out loud. 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. For My Best Friend One way to grieve is to give tribute, perhaps even before the person you are grieving is completely gone. Plenty Who would have thought a trip to the grocery store could be so full of beauty? Dinosaur Economics In this poem, playful romanticization meets a stark awakening Sometimes a Voice (1) On a hot summer afternoon, Danny jumped off the boathouse roof without thinking of the consequences. a good day The poet recalls the day she heard her father would die. Buen Esqueleto With its allusions and repetitions, “Buen Esqueleto” speaks powerfully on behalf of families caught in the contemporary U.S. border conflict. 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. Tide Both stark and tender, this poem is about Reena Virk, a BC teen of South Asian descent who was assaulted and murdered by her peers in 1997. Parable of the Eagle In this poem, an unlikely guest in the form of an eagle finds itself in a farmer’s hen house, resulting in an unexpected ending. The Fish A dreamy poem diving into oceanic imagery, exploring time and change. Before the Birth of One of Her Children This frank, devout poem confronts the risks facing a 17th-century woman in childbirth. Cold Solace Even after many months in the freezer, a honey cake calls up strong memories. 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. Money A museum coin collection prompts a reflection on the captivating nature of currency. A Stone Diary A love poem to a stone takes on deeper, rockier meanings. Dulce et Decorum Est Wilfred Owen brilliantly uses rhyme and meter in this brutal poem about a poison gas attack during WWI. Beat! Beat! Drums! With rich bombastic language and Whitman's trademark sprawling lines, this poem rallies troops for war. The Bow What flows through a name, and a name, and a name? I Feel the Sun This poem articulates the poet’s intense feeling about the sunlight after going through a long winter. Top The poet remembers a father lost long before his death. susiya Music binds and refreshes community Where There’s a Wall Both beauty and violence are just on the other side of the wall. 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. What Is Poetry Using only the letters in the title’s question, Holbrook generates a smorgasbord of weird and delightful answers. The Swimmer’s Moment Will you choose to observe from the rim of the whirlpool, or its centre? 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? 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. Picking Up a Dandelion A short and poignant poem, stretching out a brief moment of beauty. 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. “Breathe dust…” Nearly punctuation-free, this is a breathless journey through memories of a youth spent in rural Canada. 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. 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 The Tyger In the woods at night, the speaker talks to a magical animal… The Days of the Unicorns Phyllis Webb beautifully writes an ode to the majestic unicorn. 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. The Bull Moose A moose's final, tortured moments unfold in a series of brutal images. Pagination 1 2 3 4 Next › Next page Last » Last page Language English