Poetic Medicine

By Naomi Shihab Nye Letters swallow themselves in seconds. Notes friends tied to the doorknob,    transparent scarlet paper,  sizzle ...

​By Porsha Olayiwola crouch down low do not extend your limbs to their full stature bend your knees allow your bones to fold or crac...

By Robert Hass New Year’s morning— everything is in blossom!       I feel about average.    A huge frog and I    staring at...

Wash the white clothes on Monday and put them on the stone heap; wash the color clothes on Tuesday and put them on the clothesline to dry; d...

By Marilyn Hacker Tell us that line again, the thing about the dark times… “When the dark times come, we will sing about the dark times.”...

By Jennifer Saunders  I read it, and I saw a drunken sexual assault that probably was measured in minutes by two creeps with no premedi...

By Peter Yarrow Light one candle for the Maccabee children With thanks that their light didn't die Light one candle for the pain ...

By Robinson Jeffers That public men publish falsehoods Is nothing new. That America must accept Like the historical republics corruption...

The world begins at a kitchen table. No matter what, we must eat to live. The gifts of earth are brought and prepared, set on the table. So...

By Naomi Shihab Nye This plane has landed thanks to God and his mercy. That's what they say in Jordan when the plane sets down. Wha...

By Essex Hemphill In america, I place my ring on your cock where it belongs. No horsemen bearing terror, no soldiers of doom will s...

By Hila Ratzabi Go outside. Find a patch of grass, sand, dirt. Sit, kneel, place a hand or just A finger to the soft earth. Feel it pu...

By Vachel Lindsay I am unjust, but I can strive for justice. My life’s unkind, but I can vote for kindness. I, the unloving, say life sh...

By Jerome Rothenberg The cruel majority emerges! Hail to the cruel majority! They will punish the poor for being poor. They will puni...

By Ntozake Shange my father is a retired magician which accounts for my irregular behavior everythin comes outta magic hats or bottles ...

By Rabbi Joe Black Our God and God of all people, God of the rich and God of the poor. God of the teacher and God of the student. God of th...

By  Joy Ladin No matter how old you are it helps to be young when you’re coming to life, to be unfinished, a mysterious statement, a...

By Gabe Moses Forget the images you’ve learned to attach To words like cock and clit, Chest and breasts. Break those words open Like a pa...

By Leonard Cohen Kanye West is not Picasso I am Picasso Kanye West is not Edison I am Edison I am Tesla Jay-Z is not the Dylan of any...

By Frank Bidart Lie to yourself about this and you will forever lie about everything. Everybody already knows everything so you can ...