Poems We Carry: A Thank You
In celebration of Read A Little Poetry's 20th anniversary, I set out to ask poets: What poem do you carry in your heart? 89 poets answered.
Telephone Booth (number 905 1/2) by Pedro Pietri
“I am feeling too good / to report to work today, / if I feel sick tomorrow / I will come in early” — Pedro Pietri
It’s A Lot by Jon Sands
“It's a lot to not get your feelings hurt, / to let emotions pass through you, / to see your mother look like your grandmother. / It's all very necessary, but it's still a lot—” — Jon Sands
Elegy by Aracelis Girmay
“This is the only kingdom. / The kingdom of touching; / the touches of the disappearing, things.” — Aracelis Girmay
Glamor on the West Streets / Silver Over Everything by Hanif Abdurraqib
“isn’t it funny, to vow that you will love someone until you are dead.” — Hanif Abdurraqib
The Inventors by Arielle Hebert
“They eyed us dancing under June’s full moon / and said, They must be happy. / Who can blame them for believing / what they saw?” — Arielle Hebert
Mimesis by Fady Joudah
“If you tear down the web I said / It will simply know / This isn’t a place to call home” — Fady Joudah
My Life Was the Size of My Life by Jane Hirshfield
“I was hungry, then, and my life, / my life, too, was hungry” — Jane Hirshfield
You Can’t by Maya Abu Al-Hayyat
“You can be the last leaf. / You can convince the universe / that you pose no threat / to the tree’s life.” — Maya Abu Al-Hayyat