i believe that poetry is the most beautiful form of human creativity. every month i select my five favourites of the poems that i’ve read. they are often about hope and wonderment, the beauty of nature, and love for the world.

— ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ january

  • this new year's morning, jane hirshfield
  • little stones at my window, mario benedetti
  • imaginary conversation, linda pastan
  • gaining my self back, julia alvarez
  • to begin with the sweet grass, mary oliver

— ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ february

  • in time of daffodils, e.e. cummings
  • the sun kept rising, louise glück
  • you never hear the garden grow, lilian moore.
  • let’s live suddenly without thinking, e. e. cummings
  • there will come soft rains, sara teasdale

— ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ march

  • in march the earth remembers, mary oliver
  • bread and wine, friedrich holderlin
  • bee! i'm expecting you, emily dickinson
  • to an unread poet, david lessard
  • if ever there were a day so perfect, billy collins

— ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ april

  • april morning, jonathan wells
  • spring comes quickly; overnight, louise glück
  • they say that plants don't talk, rosario castellanos
  • early morning; my birthday, mary oliver
  • song of a second april, edna st. vincent millay

— ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ may

  • the peace of wild things, wendell berry
  • catbird, mary oliver
  • we manage most when we manage small, linda gregg
  • the continuous life, mark strand
  • bloom is the result to meet a flower, emily dickinson

— ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ june

  • in perpetual spring, amy gerstler
  • this is what was bequeathed us, gregory orr
  • the leaving, brigit pegeen kelly
  • how happy is the little stone, emily dickinson
  • when the green lies over the earth, angelina weld grimké

— ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ july

  • out for a walk, friedrich holderlin
  • on the grasshopper and cricket, john keats
  • there is a gold light in certain old paintings, donald justice
  • two mockingbirds, mary oliver
  • this is my letter to the world, emily dickinson

— ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ august

  • august of another summer, mary oliver
  • small kindnesses, danusha laméris
  • the world has need of you, ellen bass
  • orchids are sprouting from the floorboards, kaveh akbar
  • a bird came down the walk, emily dickinson

— ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ september

  • one september afternoon, leo dangel
  • i know someone, mary oliver
  • chamomile tea, katherine mansfield
  • the patience of ordinary things, pat schneider
  • from blossoms, li-young lee

— ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ october

  • in the wood, sara teasdale
  • daisy time, marjorie pickthall
  • the raspberry room, karin gottshall
  • in defense of our overgrow garden, matthea harvey
  • amor fati, jane hirshfield

— ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ november

  • misty, rosemerry wahtola trommer
  • i ask percy how i should live my life, mary oliver
  • eagle poem, joy harjo
  • november, esther m. clark
  • the beginning of speech, adonis

— ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ december

  • december, ina donna coolbrith
  • oranges, gary soto
  • burning the old year, naomi shihab nye
  • winter morning, james crews
  • the poem waits at its own core, john fox
jan 1 2023 ∞
jan 2 2024 +