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. One Art When loss feels inevitable, sometimes the only thing to do is write it down… 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. I Am The speaker longs to escape himself and to find freedom from within and without Top The poet remembers a father lost long before his death. Blank Sonnet Set in Halifax of the 1930s, this sensual, inebriated love poem plays with the sonnet form. World Town Layers of memory paint a moving, vibrant portrait of one man’s time spent in a seaside town with his father. The Potato Harvest This lonely poem is about so much more than a bare field. Dinosaur Economics In this poem, playful romanticization meets a stark awakening Where There’s a Wall Both beauty and violence are just on the other side of the wall. 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. Pale Blue Cover In this nostalgic poem, the speaker reminisces about the author Matt Cohen. Letters In this tender poem tracing a lost love, the speaker holds on by letting things go… Two Words: A Wedding bpNichol presents life as a river of ever-changing words and asks us to step in. 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.” 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 Breakfast for Barbarians Come sit at this mythical table where guests eat the world’s mysteries for breakfast. From One and Half of You Trying on traditional clothing and finding how it fits. Or not. 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? 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. 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. Vancouver Lights This wartime poem looks out at Vancouver’s nighttime skyline and contemplates humanity. “Breathe dust…” Nearly punctuation-free, this is a breathless journey through memories of a youth spent in rural Canada. These Poems, She Said Can an argument be the foundation of a love poem? Robert Bringhurst certainly thinks so! Money A museum coin collection prompts a reflection on the captivating nature of currency. 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. At the Centre In this poem of a woman in deep repose, her seeds of self-care begin to blossom. The Bull Moose A moose's final, tortured moments unfold in a series of brutal images. 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. Five Postcards from Jericho Postcards to regret, to time, to anyone at all The Powwow at the End of the World Sherman Alexie slams the environmental destruction of settler-colonialism as we travel on an upstream course towards the powwow at the end of the world. At the Centre In this poem of a woman in deep repose, her seeds of self-care begin to blossom. 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. 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. From Correspondences Anne Michaels challenges us to find new maps to think about old experiences. Buen Esqueleto With its allusions and repetitions, “Buen Esqueleto” speaks powerfully on behalf of families caught in the contemporary U.S. border conflict. 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. Community Garden Seeking to escape internet trolls the speaker turns her eye to the garden Application Form Identity is elusive. Maybe it doesn’t exist at all. Pagination « First First page ‹ Previous Previous page 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next › Next page Last » Last page Language English