Elegy by Aracelis Girmay
“This is the only kingdom. / The kingdom of touching; / the touches of the disappearing, things.” — Aracelis Girmay
Instead, I’m Here to Tell You Very Softly by Oliver de la Paz
“it's summer again and the undulant rows / of banners break my heart every time” — Oliver de la Paz
Colosseum by Jericho Brown
“Because I am what gladiators call / A man in love—love / Being any reminder we survived.” — Jericho Brown
Thirst by Mary Oliver
"Love for the earth / and love for you are having such a long / conversation in my heart." — Mary Oliver
At Least by Raymond Carver
“I hate to seem greedy—I have so much / to be thankful for already.” — Raymond Carver
The Courtesan’s Reply – Tambulasena by Shazea Quraishi
“Water drips down / my back. He grasps the rope / of my hair and climbs.”
Postcards to the Other Brown Girl in My Weightlifting Class by Tarfia Faizullah
"I do not want / to give myself—I want to be stem, / stamen, petal, not blossom, not bloom—"
Transformation by Adam Zagajewski
"I’ve lived humbly, reading the paper, / pondering the riddle of power / and the reasons for obedience."
Poem About Your Laugh by Susan Glickman
"When you laugh it is all the unsynchronized clocks / in the watchmaker's shop / striking their dissident hours"