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! I Have Something to Tell You In this surreal poem, a man made of cameras brings his unexpected concerns into sharper focus. 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. susiya Music binds and refreshes community 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.” 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. Sweet Like a Crow This tumbling, outrageous list poem is a backhanded ode to a child’s less-than-melodious singing voice. Late Prayer Erin Robinsong delivers a quiet and fierce prayer for life on Earth in an age of ecological destruction and oligarchical domination 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 Feel the Sun This poem articulates the poet’s intense feeling about the sunlight after going through a long winter. Full Metal Oji-Cree That’s ok, our robomocassins will outlive you nine times over. My Brother at 3 A.M. A pervasive sense of paranoia threads itself through the quiet night of this poem. We Wear the Mask We Wear the Mask is a resilient and entrancing tug-of-war with external perceptions of self. Homage to the Mineral of the Onion (I) Could a vegetable be the antidote to war? This poem thinks so. The Bow What flows through a name, and a name, and a name? Fear of Snakes The life of a snake and the memory of girlhood trauma are told in sinuously entwined language. Tide Both stark and tender, this poem is about Reena Virk, a BC teen of South Asian descent who was assaulted and murdered by her peers in 1997. Chemo Side Effects: Memory The stop-start, grasping form of this poem mirrors the speaker's struggle to reconcile herself with one of the side effects of cancer treatment. Low Tide on Grand Pré The setting sun gives rise to a treasured memory of Grand Pré in this somber, rhythmic poem. 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… 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. One Art When loss feels inevitable, sometimes the only thing to do is write it down… I've Tasted My Blood In this thunderous poem, the speaker proclaims his rage, anguish, and hope in the face of war and oppression. 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. Blank Sonnet Set in Halifax of the 1930s, this sensual, inebriated love poem plays with the sonnet form. Famous In Famous, Naomi Nye speaks to the relationship between objects and the ideas they represent. She is as famous to the poem as the poem is famous its words. An Innocent Little Girl • Favzieh Rahgozar Barlas captures a snapshot of child marriage, its cultural and economic context, and its physical and emotional aftermath. Insomnia A dark, playful twist on what someone would do if they could only sleep… Dear Updike Evelyn Lau powerfully describes the world around her in order to grieve the loss of a beloved writer. Thou Poem A poet reveals the happiest and unhappiest parts of their poetry – in conversation with a poem. sturgeon Intense with empathy, the poem places poet and struggling fish in direct physical relation. Regardless This vibrant list poem celebrates the right to just Be. Where There’s a Wall Both beauty and violence are just on the other side of the wall. Passing into Storm Through an objective lens, this poem, which could be a trailer for a horror movie, describes a white man deliberately walking into a snow storm. To what end? At the Centre In this poem of a woman in deep repose, her seeds of self-care begin to blossom. Jesse's Farm Sadiqa de Meijer reckons with environmental degradation and motherhood in this poem that asks whether showing our children “the beloved world” is enough. La Belle Dame sans Merci: A Ballad What would you ask a knight if you found him alone and palely loitering along a barren path? Community Garden Seeking to escape internet trolls the speaker turns her eye to the garden i am graffiti This poem vibrates with anger and defiance in the wake of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The Tyger In the woods at night, the speaker talks to a magical animal… Language English