Dan’s Bugs by Jim Harrison I felt a little bad about the nasty earwig that drowned in my nighttime glass of water, lying prone at the bottom like a shipwrecked mariner. There was guilt about the moth who died when she showered with me, possibly a female. They communicate through wing vibrations. I was careful […]
MoreThe Truth by Philip Schultz You can hide it like a signature or birthmark but it’s always there in the greasy light of your dreams, the knots your body makes at night, the sad innuendos of your eyes, whispering insidious asides in every room you cannot remain inside. It’s there in the unquiet ideas that […]
MoreI set out on my cross country skis with a snippet of a Wordsworth poem. (The poem is actually set in spring—see full version below—but the opening lines seemed to belong to the wide and empty expanse of a golf course off-season.) I got my close-in shot: But when I backed off for the long shot, […]
MoreEquinox by Elizabeth Alexander Now is the time of year when bees are wild and eccentric. They fly fast and in cramped loop-de-loops, dive-bomb clusters of conversants in the bright, late-September out-of-doors. I have found their dried husks in my clothes. They are dervishes because they are dying, one last sting, […]
MoreMarch 1912 –Postcard, en route westward by Natasha Trethewey At last we are near breaking the season, shedding our coats, the gray husk of winter. Each tree trembles with new leaves, tiny blossoms, the flashy dress of […]
MoreBlow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind by William Shakespeare Blow, blow, thou winter wind, Thou art not so unkind As man’s ingratitude; Thy tooth is not so keen, Because thou art not seen, Although thy breath be rude. Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly: Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly: Then, heigh-ho, […]
MoreKitchen Song by Laura Kasischke The white bowls in the orderly cupboards filled with nothing. The sound of applause in running water. All those who’ve drowned in oceans, all who’ve drowned in pools, in ponds, the small family together in the car hit head on. The pantry full of lilies, […]
MoreIn spite of the name on the window, this cafe makes me sad. Laptop and thesaurus in hand, I had stopped by Jolly’s in northern Michigan the other day and found the door locked, the tables gone, and a sign on the door saying thanks for three great years. Jolly’s Cafe is […]
MoreNational Poem in Your Pocket Day is a good day to be a poem elf. So many pockets to fill, so many poems to share. Last year I set up my very first take-a-poem box at the post office. I saved the box to use again, but when I pulled it out of […]
MoreYes, this is long. But you won’t regret taking a minute to read it. katherine with the lazy eye. short. and not a good poet. by Francine J. Harris this morning, i heard you were found in your mcdonald’s uniform. i heard it while i was visiting a lake town, where […]
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