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! 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… a good day The poet recalls the day she heard her father would die. For My Best Friend One way to grieve is to give tribute, perhaps even before the person you are grieving is completely gone. Blank Sonnet Set in Halifax of the 1930s, this sensual, inebriated love poem plays with the sonnet form. 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. Not the Music In Not in the Music, Crozier explores the inviolable: the sacred parts of ourselves that we cherish as personal sanctuaries. World Town Layers of memory paint a moving, vibrant portrait of one man’s time spent in a seaside town with his father. The Visions of Stone Carrier In this dreamlike piece exploring memory and primogeniture, N. Scott Momaday casts a haunting spell that transports the reader through mystery and reminiscence. 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. Application Form Identity is elusive. Maybe it doesn’t exist at all. Dear Updike Evelyn Lau powerfully describes the world around her in order to grieve the loss of a beloved writer. from Cross River . Pick Lotus Sometimes a simple wish granted, especially a final one, can change everything. sturgeon Intense with empathy, the poem places poet and struggling fish in direct physical relation. The Tyger In the woods at night, the speaker talks to a magical animal… The Dead This sonnet considers the fragmented, elusive way the dead resurface in our lives. Sometimes a Voice (1) On a hot summer afternoon, Danny jumped off the boathouse roof without thinking of the consequences. “Breathe dust…” Nearly punctuation-free, this is a breathless journey through memories of a youth spent in rural Canada. Beat! Beat! Drums! With rich bombastic language and Whitman's trademark sprawling lines, this poem rallies troops for war. I Feel the Sun This poem articulates the poet’s intense feeling about the sunlight after going through a long winter. Dinosaur Economics In this poem, playful romanticization meets a stark awakening 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 The New Experience Join the speaker on a whirlwind journey towards a surprising realization. We Wear the Mask We Wear the Mask is a resilient and entrancing tug-of-war with external perceptions of self. 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.” From Red Doc In this poem-as-a-conversation, a man and his mother consider how the past lives on in the present. The Fish A dreamy poem diving into oceanic imagery, exploring time and change. Pale Blue Cover In this nostalgic poem, the speaker reminisces about the author Matt Cohen. Fear of Snakes The life of a snake and the memory of girlhood trauma are told in sinuously entwined language. At the Centre In this poem of a woman in deep repose, her seeds of self-care begin to blossom. 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? 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 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. My Brother at 3 A.M. A pervasive sense of paranoia threads itself through the quiet night of this poem. Famous In Famous, Naomi Nye speaks to the relationship between objects and the ideas they represent. She is as famous to the poem as the poem is famous its words. 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. Cold Solace Even after many months in the freezer, a honey cake calls up strong memories. Modestine A woman writes a tender poem about her dad’s struggle with dementia. Guanahani, 11 This bracing ballad (re)considers the beauty and history of the Caribbean island where Christopher Columbus first landed. Editing the Prairie If the prairie was a written story, imagine the rejection letter it might get! One Art When loss feels inevitable, sometimes the only thing to do is write it down… Pagination 1 2 3 4 Next › Next page Last » Last page Language English