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! Two Words: A Wedding bpNichol presents life as a river of ever-changing words and asks us to step in. Money A museum coin collection prompts a reflection on the captivating nature of currency. My Brother at 3 A.M. A pervasive sense of paranoia threads itself through the quiet night of this poem. Mantra of No Return It is possible to travel home when one has never been there. This poem does. Application Form Identity is elusive. Maybe it doesn’t exist at all. 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. 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. 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? Guanahani, 11 This bracing ballad (re)considers the beauty and history of the Caribbean island where Christopher Columbus first landed. 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. Top The poet remembers a father lost long before his death. Picking Up a Dandelion A short and poignant poem, stretching out a brief moment of beauty. Late Prayer Erin Robinsong delivers a quiet and fierce prayer for life on Earth in an age of ecological destruction and oligarchical domination 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. Qawanguq with Fox Abigail Chabitnoy’s dreamscape of a poem depicts a coy little fox. For My Best Friend One way to grieve is to give tribute, perhaps even before the person you are grieving is completely gone. Laurentian Shield This portrait of a rocky, silent Canadian landscape speaks to the country’s limitations and its potential. Sonoma A dreamlike sense of the uncanny hangs over this poem of an encounter on a coastal highway. 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. 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. 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. from “Road Shoulders” the shoulder of the road gleams with the poet's attention La Belle Dame sans Merci: A Ballad What would you ask a knight if you found him alone and palely loitering along a barren path? What Is Poetry Using only the letters in the title’s question, Holbrook generates a smorgasbord of weird and delightful answers. I’ve Tasted My Blood In this thunderous poem, the speaker proclaims his rage, anguish, and hope in the face of war and oppression. An Innocent Little Girl • Favzieh Rahgozar Barlas captures a snapshot of child marriage, its cultural and economic context, and its physical and emotional aftermath. Poor Speaker Yep, the speaker gets what you're trying to say. We Wear the Mask We Wear the Mask is a resilient and entrancing tug-of-war with external perceptions of self. A Breakfast for Barbarians Come sit at this mythical table where guests eat the world’s mysteries for breakfast. The New Experience Join the speaker on a whirlwind journey towards a surprising realization. The Bow What flows through a name, and a name, and a name? Community Garden Seeking to escape internet trolls the speaker turns her eye to the garden Dulce et Decorum Est Wilfred Owen brilliantly uses rhyme and meter in this brutal poem about a poison gas attack during WWI. At the Centre In this poem of a woman in deep repose, her seeds of self-care begin to blossom. Someday I’ll Love Ocean Vuong In this tender poem of healing, care and remembrance, Ocean Vuong reaches out to his younger self. The Tyger In the woods at night, the speaker talks to a magical animal… Salmon Courage Deep bravery can emerge amid clashing familial hopes and truths. M. NourbeSe Philip shows us how. 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.” Five Postcards from Jericho Postcards to regret, to time, to anyone at all Pagination « First First page ‹ Previous Previous page 1 2 3 4 Next › Next page Last » Last page Language English