Ellen Bass — Bone of My Bone and Flesh of My Flesh
What pet names have you been called? What are the circumstances and stories behind these pet names?In this poem, a woman considers the pet names to give her female partner; “My beloved” isn’t very con...
11 Joulu 202015min
R.A. Villanueva — Life Drawing
Who do you trust with your body? In this poem, a man writes about his wife’s life-drawing class. She’s been sketching a naked male model for weeks, and the poet worries, comparing himself, trying to f...
7 Joulu 202014min
Zaffar Kunial — The Word
Have you ever projected your own awkwardness onto someone else? How did you do it? And how would you address them now? This poem recalls how, as a young adult, Zaffar Kunial judged his immigrant fathe...
4 Joulu 202011min
Dilruba Ahmed — Phase One
What do you find hard to forgive in yourself? What might help? In this poem, the poet makes a list of all the things she holds against herself: opening fridge doors, fantasies, wilted seedlings, unkem...
30 Marras 202015min
Layli Long Soldier — WHEREAS my eyes land on the shoreline
When you feel like crying, do you cry? Or do you stifle it? Why? The U.S. Congress 2009 “Joint resolution to acknowledge a long history of official depredations and ill-conceived policies by the Feder...
27 Marras 202017min
Chen Chen — I Invite My Parents to a Dinner Party
In this poem, a son writes to his parents and invites them to a meal, letting them know that his boyfriend will also be there. He gives instruction to his parents on how they should behave, parenting ...
23 Marras 202018min
Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill — Ceist na Teangan (The Language Issue)
Are there languages that once were spoken in your family that are not anymore? What caused those changes? This poem considers the plight of a language, how it — like the child Moses in the biblical st...
20 Marras 202012min
Aracelis Girmay — Consider the Hands that Write this Letter
When you’re writing by hand, where is your other hand? What story is the space between your two hands — your dominant hand and non-dominant hand — telling?This poem considers the posture of the body w...
16 Marras 202012min
