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! niya A physical encounter with a stranger ignites a fire of emotions about how to express the trauma of settlement and life in a colonial, urban environment. I Have Something to Tell You In this surreal poem, a man made of cameras brings his unexpected concerns into sharper focus. Planet Earth P.K. Page sings the praises of planet earth through extended metaphor and delightful constraint. The Bow What flows through a name, and a name, and a name? The ABG (Able-Bodied Gaze) The abled-bodied gaze is an intrusive force in this poem, making a spectacle of a disabled body and attempting to reduce them to their impairment. 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. Sonoma A dreamlike sense of the uncanny hangs over this poem of an encounter on a coastal highway. The Blue Guitar In this glosa poem, P.K. Page strums out questions about being an artist and telling the truth. Poor Speaker Yep, the speaker gets what you're trying to say Echolalia Exploring the tension between desire and satisfaction, this is “a poem that you have to kiss your way through without being kissed,” says Williams. Sweet Like a Crow This tumbling, outrageous list poem is a backhanded ode to a child’s less-than-melodious singing voice. Not the Music In Not in the Music, Crozier explores the inviolable: the sacred parts of ourselves that we cherish as personal sanctuaries. sturgeon Intense with empathy, the poem places poet and struggling fish in direct physical relation. 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. from Cross River . Pick Lotus Sometimes a simple wish granted, especially a final one, can change everything. 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. Salmon Courage Deep bravery can emerge amid clashing familial hopes and truths. M. NourbeSe Philip shows us how. The Trick The body and the mind are intimately linked and cannot be divorced from each other. Northern Light A poem about belonging when one doesn't feel like they are completely at home Un Docteur Anglophone Traduit Les Inquiétudes De Son Patient Avec Google/An English Speaking Doctor Translates the Concerns of his Patient with Google This bilingual poem expresses the limitations of understanding across languages when experiences become lost in translation. The Dead This sonnet considers the fragmented, elusive way the dead resurface in our lives. Laurentian Shield This portrait of a rocky, silent Canadian landscape speaks to the country’s limitations and its potential. Editing the Prairie If the prairie was a written story, imagine the rejection letter it might get! Late Prayer Erin Robinsong delivers a quiet and fierce prayer for life on Earth in an age of ecological destruction and oligarchical domination Letters In this tender poem tracing a lost love, the speaker holds on by letting things go… Fast Commute Laurie Graham weathers an incongruous ice storm in this poem-excerpt that asks us to pause and understand that we are present here, “and with this understanding to start to hear.” One Art When loss feels inevitable, sometimes the only thing to do is write it down… susiya Music binds and refreshes community 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. Plenty Who would have thought a trip to the grocery store could be so full of beauty? The Tyger In the woods at night, the speaker talks to a magical animal… Someday I'll Love Ocean Vuong In this tender poem of healing, care and remembrance, Ocean Vuong reaches out to his younger self. Marshlands Quietly pause to take in the colours and sounds of a marsh. The Bull Moose A moose's final, tortured moments unfold in a series of brutal images. Good Day Villanelle Is this a painful poem about a funny memory, or a funny poem about a painful memory? Mantra of No Return It is possible to travel home when one has never been there. This poem does. April 30, 2014 One spring day, dreading an afternoon appointment that will dredge up all kinds of terrible memories, the speaker of the poem focuses on the natural world around her. 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? Gayatri A selfie with no one in it surprisingly captures the magic of a childhood friendship. 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. Language English