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! Too Negative Have your friends’ parents ever warned them away from you because they thought you were a bad influence? “Too Negative” is a poem about that experience. 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. In Exile I Draw the Tower Card A poem that explores the loss of taken-for-granted abilities that lead to existential questions about oneself. Thou Poem A poet reveals the happiest and unhappiest parts of their poetry – in conversation with a poem. Dulce et Decorum Est Wilfred Owen brilliantly uses rhyme and meter in this brutal poem about a poison gas attack during WWI. Low Tide on Grand Pré The setting sun gives rise to a treasured memory of Grand Pré in this somber, rhythmic poem. I Carried My Father Across the Sea An elegy, both surreal and heartfelt, that explores a son’s grief over his father’s death. sturgeon Intense with empathy, the poem places poet and struggling fish in direct physical relation. Fear of Snakes The life of a snake and the memory of girlhood trauma are told in sinuously entwined language. “Breathe dust…” Nearly punctuation-free, this is a breathless journey through memories of a youth spent in rural Canada. the knowing Connie Fife cryptically combines land and body in this poem exploring connection to place and past. Blank Sonnet Set in Halifax of the 1930s, this sensual, inebriated love poem plays with the sonnet form. Top The poet remembers a father lost long before his death. The Bull Moose A moose's final, tortured moments unfold in a series of brutal images. Sometimes a Voice (1) On a hot summer afternoon, Danny jumped off the boathouse roof without thinking of the consequences. Aliens Visit the Islands In “Aliens Visit the Islands,” Terese Mason Pierre describes an extraterrestrial landing in the Caribbean that subverts familiar sci-fi tropes. Money A museum coin collection prompts a reflection on the captivating nature of currency. From the Catalogue of Cruelty “From the Catalogue of Cruelty” reminisces on a series of hurtful acts the speaker committed in her childhood and folds in generational violence, state violence, and Greek myth. Childhood For Aracelis Girmay, “Childhood” is a place we can visit in our memories—and perhaps a place that moves on without us. 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. In Flanders Fields The dead summon us to action in this much-beloved poem of war. The Fish A dreamy poem diving into oceanic imagery, exploring time and change. 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? Dulce et Decorum Est Wilfred Owen brilliantly uses rhyme and meter in this brutal poem about a poison gas attack during WWI. 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. 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. Two Words: A Wedding bpNichol presents life as a river of ever-changing words and asks us to step in. Villanelle TO WRESTLE WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR POETIC LEGACY, WHY NOT WRITE A VILLANELLE? I Carried My Father Across the Sea An elegy, both surreal and heartfelt, that explores a son’s grief over his father’s death. The Dictator’s Message A dictator invites the opposition in diaspora back home. Homage to the Mineral of the Onion (I) Could a vegetable be the antidote to war? This poem thinks so. Two Words: A Wedding bpNichol presents life as a river of ever-changing words and asks us to step in. 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… Marshlands Quietly pause to take in the colours and sounds of a marsh. Yellowjacket “Yellowjacket” explores the eerie way the dead make themselves at home in our lives. Salmon Courage Deep bravery can emerge amid clashing familial hopes and truths. M. NourbeSe Philip shows us how. another set of instructions An abstract musing on world-building, becoming, water and rebirth. A poem that asks you to pay attention to your surroundings and yourself. Let the Ponies Out In this poem, a dramatic monologue, the speaker implores their father to do something both real and more real in its imagining. 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. from Cross River . Pick Lotus Sometimes a simple wish granted, especially a final one, can change everything. Pagination « First First page ‹ Previous Previous page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next › Next page Last » Last page Language English