Rain at NightBy Andrew FrisardiThe city lies back in its winding-sheetWhile little digits drum a steady beatOn roofs and terraces, …NatureWeatherSocial CommentariesCities & Urban LifeStanza FormsCoupletRhymed Stanza
Cyrus & the SnakesBy Ada LimónMy brother holds a snake by its head. The whole length of the snake is the length of my brother’s body…NatureAnimalsLivingComing of AgeLife ChoicesYouthThe MindMemory & NostalgiaRelationshipsFamily & AncestorsStanza FormsCoupletMetersFree VerseTechniquesImageryMetaphor + 10 more
The Magnificent FrigatebirdBy Ada LimónIs it okay to begin with the obvious? I am full of stones— is it okay not to look out this window, but…LoveDesire & PassionNatureAnimalsSeas, Rivers, & StreamsActivitiesTravels & JourneysStanza FormsCoupletMetersFree VerseTechniquesMetaphorSimileJoy & Contentment + 8 more
Enter the DragonBy John MurilloFor me, the movie starts with a black man Leaping into an orbit of badges, tiny moons Catching the …Social CommentariesPopular CultureRace & EthnicityLivingYouthThe MindMemory & NostalgiaRelationshipsFamily & AncestorsArts & SciencesPhotography & FilmStanza FormsCoupletMetersFree VerseTechniquesAllusionConfessionalSimileAnxiety & Insecurity + 13 more
IntimacyBy Paisley RekdalHow horrible it is, how horrible that Cronenberg film where Goldblum’s trapped with a fly inside his…LoveRealistic & ComplicatedReligionFaith & DoubtLivingDeathThe BodyTime & BrevityArts & SciencesPhotography & FilmStanza FormsCoupletMetersFree VerseTechniquesAllusionImagery + 10 more
godBy K. IverAt my beloved’s burial,I can’t see his body.Only carnations. I hearyour name and my beloved’sin the …LoveHeartache & LossSocial CommentariesGender & SexualityReligionChristianityLivingSorrow & GrievingRelationshipsLGBTQ+Stanza FormsCoupletAngerGrief + 7 more
Marigolds of FireBy Ama Codjoe1. He had a caribou's face. Once he let me lick the sadness there. It tasted of salt and moss-covered…LoveDesire & PassionRealistic & ComplicatedRelationshipsMen & WomenStanza FormsCoupletMixedMetersFree VerseTechniquesImageryMetaphorSimileTypes/ModesSeries/SequenceGrief + 10 more
Bollywood ConfabulationBy Rajiv MohabirLook at your feet, so beautiful. Do not step on the ground, filth will smear them; your future will…LoveDesire & PassionLivingThe BodyRelationshipsMen & WomenArts & SciencesPhotography & FilmVerse FormsSonnetStanza FormsCoupletMetersFree VerseTechniquesEpigraphImageryMetaphor + 11 more
Montana PastoralBy J. V. CunninghamI am no shepherd of a child’s surmises. I have seen fear where the coiled serpent rises, Thirst where… Related Audio NatureStanza FormsCoupletTypes/ModesPastoralAnxiety & InsecurityMelancholy & Despair
JawsBy Emma HineI don’t realize I’m starved for the color until the blood washes up on the beach. I’m craving red but…LoveDesire & PassionNatureStars, Planets, HeavensSeas, Rivers, & StreamsLivingThe BodyArts & SciencesPhotography & FilmStanza FormsCoupletMetersFree VerseTechniquesMetaphor + 8 more
The HorsesBy Ted HughesI climbed through woods in the hour-before-dawn dark. Evil air, a frost-making stillness, Not a leaf…NatureAnimalsLandscapes & PastoralsStars, Planets, HeavensSeas, Rivers, & StreamsSocial CommentariesLivingThe MindMemory & NostalgiaTime & BrevityStanza FormsCoupletMetersFree VerseTechniquesConsonanceImageryTypes/ModesPastoral + 12 more
Autumn Testament #12By James K. BaxterThe wish to climb a ladder to the loft Of God dies hard in us. The angels Jacob saw Were not himself…LoveDesire & PassionReligionFaith & DoubtGod & the DivineThe SpiritualLivingThe BodyThe MindTime & BrevityVerse FormsSonnetStanza FormsCoupletTechniquesAllusionImageryMetaphorTypes/ModesSeries/SequenceDisappointmentGrief + 15 more
Summer (’16)By Rachel Tzvia Back1 The cyclamens have a hard time breathing in July. The sun ravages them and earth is too dry. Still… Related Audio NatureSummerSocial CommentariesWar & ConflictLivingDeathSorrow & GrievingStanza FormsCoupletTechniquesMetaphorTypes/ModesElegySeries/SequenceGrief + 8 more
Tiresias as Cuir (on the run)By Trish Salahi. Dog. The time you take home, the time you take away from home. The insistence, the instance worried…NatureAnimalsSeas, Rivers, & StreamsSocial CommentariesGender & SexualityRelationshipsLGBTQ+Arts & SciencesPoetry & PoetsMythology & FolkloreGreek & Roman MythologyStanza FormsCoupletMetersFree VerseTechniquesAllusionImageryMetaphor + 12 more
poetry-magazinePostscriptBy Marie HoweWhat we did to the earth, we did to our daughters one after the other. What we did to the trees, we…NatureAnimalsSocial CommentariesLivingLife ChoicesRelationshipsFamily & AncestorsStanza FormsCoupletTechniquesImageryMetaphor + 5 more
True FreshBy Genevieve ArlieThe geometer wishes he were David cut from stone by lightning, his mind gyring wide into figures of… Related Audio ReligionGod & the DivineLivingLife ChoicesThe BodyThe MindTime & BrevityArts & SciencesPainting & SculptureStanza FormsCoupletMetersFree VerseTechniquesAllusionImageryMetaphorSimile + 11 more
Face ReadingBy Travis Chi Wing LauTwo fingers can turn with ease to violence: some things must not be permitted to grow, so I weed with… Related Audio LivingHealth & IllnessLife ChoicesThe MindStanza FormsCouplet
CollaborationBy Ciaran CarsonI am being paraded through the streets with my head shaved, with no memory of what I have done to deserve…Social CommentariesGender & SexualityHistory & PoliticsStanza FormsCoupletMetersFree Verse
Thoughts in a ZooBy Countee CullenThey in their cruel traps, and we in ours, Survey each other’s rage, and pass the hours Commiserating…LivingLife ChoicesThe MindDoubt & ContemplationStanza FormsCouplet
HeritageBy Countee CullenWhat is Africa to me:Copper sun or scarlet sea,Jungle star or jungle track,Strong bronzed men, or regal…Social CommentariesHistory & PoliticsKwanzaaStanza FormsCoupletGratitude