TotemBy R. L. SwihartThe young man says, “Alan can do anything he wants”“Not fly,” I sayThe young man returns a puzzled look...LivingComing of AgeThe MindDoubt & ContemplationArts & SciencesReading & BooksStanza FormsMixedMetersFree VerseTechniquesImagery + 5 more
p1For a FarrierBy Matthew RohrerReading a kind of laborious poem about rural things and a horse is shot for breaking its leg. I still...Arts & SciencesPoetry & PoetsReading & Books
p1Stunt DoubleBy Tomás Q. MorínIn this life, there are starsand there are stunt doubles.Before I became one of those fathersobsessed...LoveSocial CommentariesClassRace & EthnicityLivingParenthoodRelationshipsFamily & AncestorsFriends & EnemiesActivitiesSchool & LearningSports & Outdoor ActivitiesArts & SciencesReading & BooksFather's DayAngerDisappointmentJoy & ContentmentOptimism + 12 more
p1A Bell Is a Bearer of TimeBy Alison C. RollinsI am a product of my time. Time is a body that resembles a sound without a scale. Forever foreclosed...Social CommentariesGender & SexualityRace & EthnicityThe BodyArts & SciencesReading & BooksMetersFree VerseTechniquesAllusionImageryMetaphorTypes/ModesConcrete or Pattern Poetry + 7 more
luh’ friendsBy Cedric Tillmanyou know I ain’t mess w/you ’cause of yo’ friends wouldn’t have you caught slummin’ know you hood 'cause...Social CommentariesClassPopular CultureRace & EthnicityLivingLife ChoicesRelationshipsFriends & EnemiesArts & SciencesReading & BooksStanza FormsMixedMetersFree VerseTechniquesConsonanceRefrain + 10 more
"Guard the Jade Pass"By Kimiko Hahni. I am in the middle of “The Fourteen Poems" by Sun Bu-er (“Clear and Calm Free Human”), Taoist and...ReligionThe SpiritualArts & SciencesPoetry & PoetsReading & Books
p1The StairBy Kevin Young The heart, it hoards— how I know this— The small, strangled shining room Keats lost his life in—and...ReligionThe SpiritualLivingDeathGrowing OldThe BodyTime & BrevityRelationshipsFamily & AncestorsArts & SciencesReading & BooksStanza FormsTercetMetersFree VerseTechniquesImageryMetaphor + 11 more
p1On Finding the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Dante’s “Inferno”By Omar SakrI slip into my insolence, sleek as an eel. I have walked so many ways around God I can tell you Holiness...ReligionArts & SciencesReading & Books
p1On Finding the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Dante’s “Inferno”By Omar SakrA lover undresses, with permission. Picture the body becoming real. I picture becoming real intimate...ReligionArts & SciencesReading & Books
p1On Finding the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Dante’s “Inferno”By Omar SakrI lift him out, whole and perfect. Said told me he would be here, chained by Dante To the eighth circle...ReligionArts & SciencesReading & Books
p1So Many Books, So Little TimeBy Haki R. MadhubutiFrequently during my mornings of pain & reflection when I can’t write or articulate my thoughts or locate...Social CommentariesPopular CultureThe MindActivitiesIndoor ActivitiesArts & SciencesReading & BooksStanza FormsMixedMetersFree VersePassion + 5 more
on naming yourself (a cento)By Jamila Woodsi caught my breath & called that life i cannot be comprehended it is better to write spit out words ...RelationshipsFamily & AncestorsArts & SciencesPoetry & PoetsReading & Books
The Waste LandBy T. S. Eliot I. The Burial of the Dead April is the cruellest monthApril is the cruellest month The Waste Land begins with...Social CommentariesCities & Urban LifeHistory & PoliticsReligionLivingRelationshipsArts & SciencesPhilosophyReading & BooksTypes/ModesEpic + 4 more
The Second InauguralBy Barbara Claire FreemanDear Necessity, the magnitude and difficulty of the trust to which the voice of my country has called...Social CommentariesPopular CultureArts & SciencesLanguage & LinguisticsReading & BooksMetersFree Verse
Whispers of ImmortalityBy T. S. EliotWebster was much possessed by death And saw the skull beneath the skin; And breastless creatures under...LivingDeathThe BodyArts & SciencesPhilosophyPoetry & PoetsReading & BooksGriefMelancholy & Despair + 2 more
The StoryBy Joshua EdwardsI read the same book over and over, as much to have a familiar thing to hold as to forget how far I ...LivingThe MindArts & SciencesReading & Books
p1If Your Hands Are Full of FireBy L.A. JohnsonThe book from the archive whispers with handwriting. A gold pen shines the name of every man, his every...Social CommentariesGender & SexualityActivitiesSchool & LearningArts & SciencesReading & Books
p1The Last WordBy Nikki GrimesI am a door of metaphor waiting to be opened. You’ll find no lock, no key. All are free to enter, at...Arts & SciencesReading & BooksJoy & ContentmentOptimismArts & Culture
p1One of UsBy Joyce Sidman“That kid is weird,” says the teacher, flipping her shining hair. “I don’t know where he’s at.” Indeed...LivingYouthActivitiesSchool & LearningArts & SciencesPoetry & PoetsReading & BooksJoy & ContentmentOptimismArts & CultureSchool + 4 more
p1Every day as a wide field, every pageBy Naomi Shihab Nye1 Standing outside staring at a tree gentles our eyes We cheer to see fireflies winking again Where ...LivingYouthArts & SciencesPoetry & PoetsReading & BooksArts & Culture