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! Beat! Beat! Drums! With rich bombastic language and Whitman's trademark sprawling lines, this poem rallies troops for war. 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. Homage to the Mineral of the Onion (I) Could a vegetable be the antidote to war? This poem thinks so. Low Tide on Grand Pré The setting sun gives rise to a treasured memory of Grand Pré in this somber, rhythmic poem. The Fish A dreamy poem diving into oceanic imagery, exploring time and change. 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. Dear Updike Evelyn Lau powerfully describes the world around her in order to grieve the loss of a beloved writer. Insomnia A dark, playful twist on what someone would do if they could only sleep… I Feel the Sun This poem articulates the poet’s intense feeling about the sunlight after going through a long winter. 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 ghosts of women once girls Poet Aja Monet reveals both gladness and sadness from a little girl enraptured by literature. 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. At the Centre In this poem of a woman in deep repose, her seeds of self-care begin to blossom. My Papa’s Waltz The poet writes a complex poem about his relationship with his father. niya A physical encounter with a stranger ignites a fire of emotions about how to express the trauma of settlement and life in a colonial, urban environment. 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. Buen Esqueleto With its allusions and repetitions, “Buen Esqueleto” speaks powerfully on behalf of families caught in the contemporary U.S. border conflict. 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. I’ve Tasted My Blood In this thunderous poem, the speaker proclaims his rage, anguish, and hope in the face of war and oppression. Northern Light A poem about belonging when one doesn't feel like they are completely at home Application Form Identity is elusive. Maybe it doesn’t exist at all. The Trick The body and the mind are intimately linked and cannot be divorced from each other. 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. Sonoma A dreamlike sense of the uncanny hangs over this poem of an encounter on a coastal highway. 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. 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. A Breakfast for Barbarians Come sit at this mythical table where guests eat the world’s mysteries for breakfast. 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. World Town Layers of memory paint a moving, vibrant portrait of one man’s time spent in a seaside town with his father. I Am The speaker longs to escape himself and to find freedom from within and without 400: Coming Home You can’t help thinking about your life on a long stretch of highway. 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 susiya Music binds and refreshes community Where There’s a Wall Both beauty and violence are just on the other side of the wall. Late Prayer Erin Robinsong delivers a quiet and fierce prayer for life on Earth in an age of ecological destruction and oligarchical domination Letters In this tender poem tracing a lost love, the speaker holds on by letting things go… My Poem Without Me in It Imagining herself removed from her own poem, a poet realizes how poetry gives her the space to create herself. I’ll Teach You Cree By sharing with us the untranslatable aspects of Cree culture, Scofield immerses the reader with the sensorial experiences that deepen the bonds of community. 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.” Laurentian Shield This portrait of a rocky, silent Canadian landscape speaks to the country’s limitations and its potential. Pagination « First First page ‹ Previous Previous page 1 2 3 4 Next › Next page Last » Last page Language English