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
The Book of Frank [“Frank’s sister grew long blue feathers”]By CAConradFrank’s sister grew long blue feathers she said it was worse than cutting teeth she spent a month screaming...LivingComing of AgeLife ChoicesYouthThe BodyTime & BrevityRelationshipsFamily & Ancestors
Sleeping BeautyBy K. IverYou’ve never seen a lilac in Mississippi. Backstage you wear lotion laced with its chemical imitation...LoveFirst LoveLivingComing of AgeYouthRelationshipsFamily & AncestorsArts & SciencesTheater & DanceAnxiety & InsecurityDisappointmentGriefMelancholy & Despair + 6 more
I Stand Outside This Woman’s WorkBy Karyna McGlynn& watch Kevin Bacon conjure fake tears in a Real Hallway & I am Real Tears in a fake hallway & “Procreation...Social CommentariesGender & SexualityLivingComing of AgeLife ChoicesYouthThe BodyRelationshipsFamily & Ancestors + 2 more
p1I AM 17. I HAVE A LOT TO SAY.By Jackson Holbert My mother was around all the time back then, always walking in and out of rooms carrying stacks of ...LivingComing of Age
XLIX. ("its a secrete")By Jos Charles its a secrete the grls speeching mye hole / inn 2 the lindens / wee go out & playe footballe / verie...Social CommentariesGender & SexualityLivingComing of AgeYouthRelationshipsFriends & EnemiesActivitiesVerse FormsSonnetMetersFree VerseTechniquesImageryMetaphorTypes/ModesSeries/SequenceAnxiety & InsecurityDisappointment + 12 more
Nylon, Black, ’72By Ariana BrownI don’t know why most mexicans in my hood wore nike cortez’s– why the breakers in my crew polished ‘...Social CommentariesRace & EthnicityHistory & PoliticsLivingComing of AgeYouthRelationshipsFriends & Enemies
Into the WeedsBy Kevin PruferThe brutality of those two men who broke into her apartment and murdered her boyfriend, then, as she...Social CommentariesCrime & PunishmentLivingComing of AgeDeathSorrow & GrievingThe MindMemory & NostalgiaRelationshipsFriends & EnemiesActivitiesSchool & LearningArts & SciencesPhotography & FilmMetersFree VerseTechniquesConfessionalImageryMetaphorTypes/ModesElegyGrief + 16 more
p1Lil MermaidzBy Tayi TibbleRinsing the sea salt out of our bikinis with the drinking water and getting a slap upside the head from...LivingComing of AgeYouthActivitiesSports & Outdoor Activities
A Toothless Crackhead Was the MascotBy Reginald Dwayne Betts[An Outline for a Film] A woman leans against a man who leans against a brick wall watching cars stop...NatureSummerSocial CommentariesCities & Urban LifeRace & EthnicityLivingComing of AgeDeathLife ChoicesArts & SciencesPhotography & FilmMetersFree VerseTechniquesImagerySimile + 9 more
Who Makes Love to Us After We DieBy Diana Marie Delgado I turn on the radio and hear voices, girls becoming women after tragedy. Talk about dreams! His heart...LoveRealistic & ComplicatedSocial CommentariesGender & SexualityLivingComing of AgeDeathRelationshipsMen & WomenArts & SciencesPhotography & FilmMetersFree VerseTechniquesAllusionImageryTypes/ModesProse Poem + 11 more
The Skokie TheaterBy Edward HirschTwelve years old and lovesick, bumbling and terrified for the first time in my life, but strangely hopeful...LoveDesire & PassionFirst LoveInfatuation & CrushesLivingComing of AgeYouthArts & SciencesPhotography & FilmMetersFree VerseTechniquesConfessionalImageryMetaphor + 8 more
The Fake Tears of Shirley TempleBy Patricia LockwoodHow many sets of her parents are dead. How many times over is she an orphan. A plane, a crosswalk, a...Social CommentariesPopular CultureLivingComing of AgeRelationshipsFamily & AncestorsArts & SciencesPhotography & FilmMetersFree VerseTypes/ModesProse Poem + 5 more
White EgretBy Chris AbaniA stream in a forest and a boy fishing, heart aflame, head hush, tasting the world— lick and pant. The...LoveDesire & PassionNatureSeas, Rivers, & StreamsReligionThe SpiritualLivingComing of AgeYouthThe BodyRelationshipsFamily & AncestorsActivitiesSports & Outdoor ActivitiesMetersFree VerseTechniquesEpigraphImageryMetaphor + 13 more
p1ForeverBy Kara van de GraafThe water was so still I believed it would keep us right-side up forever there in that pool on a night...LoveFirst LoveSocial CommentariesGender & SexualityLivingComing of AgeYouthThe BodyThe MindMemory & NostalgiaMetersFree VerseTechniquesImagery + 7 more
p1Abuelo,By Gabriel RamirezI couldn’t be who I am today if it wasn’t for you being dead. It was time for glitter, nail polish, ...Social CommentariesGender & SexualityLivingComing of AgeSorrow & GrievingThe BodyRelationshipsFamily & AncestorsMetersFree VerseTechniquesImageryTypes/ModesElegyGriefJoy & Contentment + 9 more
In ChildhoodBy Kimiko Hahnthings don't die or remain damaged but return: stumps grow back hands, a head reconnects to a neck, ...LivingComing of AgeDeathYouthTime & Brevity
p1Bay LeavesBy Nikki GiovanniI watched Mommy Cook Though I cooked With Grandmother With Grandmother I learned To pluck chickens Peel...LivingComing of AgeThe MindMemory & NostalgiaRelationshipsFamily & AncestorsHome LifeActivitiesEating & DrinkingIndoor ActivitiesStanza FormsMixedMetersFree VerseTechniquesImageryRefrain + 10 more
Heartless Humour BluesBy Raymond AntrobusMy mother says my father had a heartless sense of humour. That winter she fell, ice on the road— She...LivingComing of AgeRelationshipsFamily & AncestorsHome LifeVerse FormsVillanelle
Little Crow's Ear Nettled by the Slash-eyed JourneyBy Duane NiatumI was born to a family wrapped inside the wallpaper of two worlds, drumming the other's disappearance...Social CommentariesRace & EthnicityHistory & PoliticsLivingComing of AgeYouth