Power Poems
A Green Crab's Shell
by Mark Doty
Not, exactly, green:
closer to bronze
preserved in kind brine,
something retrieved
from a Greco-Roman wreck,
patinated and oddly
muscular. We cannot
know what his fantastic
......
London, 1802
by William Wordsworth
Milton! thou shouldst be living at this hour;
England hath need of thee: she is a fen
Of stagnant waters: altar, sword, and pen,
Fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower,
Have forfeited their ancient English dower
Of inward happiness. We are selfish men;
Oh! raise us up, return to us again;
And give us manners, virtue, freedom, power.
Thy soul was like a Star, and dwelt apart;
Thou hadst a voice whose sound was like the sea:
......
Is/Not
by Margaret Atwood
Love is not a profession
genteel or otherwise
sex is not dentistry
the slick filling of aches and cavities
you are not my doctor
you are not my cure,
nobody has that
......
The City Planners
by Margaret Atwood
Cruising these residential Sunday
streets in dry August sunlight:
what offends us is
the sanities:
the houses in pedantic rows, the planted
sanitary trees, assert
levelness of surface like a rebuke
to the dent in our car door.
No shouting here, or
shatter of glass; nothing more abrupt
......
Let America Be America Again
by Langston Hughes
Let America be America again.
Let it be the dream it used to be.
Let it be the pioneer on the plain
Seeking a home where he himself is free.
(America never was America to me.)
Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed--
Let it be that great strong land of love
Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme
......
An Ode to Aphrodite
by Taryn G
the next time you see him
you will look as if there is a splendid sun
burning under your skin.
you will smoulder
like the goddesses that came before you.
you will not be cold
or vengeful
or bitter or weak.
your laugh will sound like rain on the window pain
your words will be soft
......
Navigating Insecurity Safely
by Christen Kuikoua
Embrace your insecurities with grace,
Yet, don't let them dictate your pace.
They're shadows that may come and go,
But never allow them to diminish your glow.
It's fine not always to be on the peak,
Cool and collected, a demeanor unique.
Value the journey, not just the goal,
Secure your insecurities, make them your soul.
......
World Famous Actress
by Frangipani Rhett
Oh, I might be a world famous actress
But I'm still powerless
Oh, I'm still powerless
Can't mold my destiny
I can try but its not my call if I fly
Oh, it's all up in the air
I'll glue on wings but I'm not guaranteed a ride
......
There Was A Boy
by Pijush Biswas
There was a boy, Bilu
I knew him since 1998
Who did never fight
And learned to swim too.
One day he asked me to tell
'How the stars fly in skies? '
For, in great enthusiasm he fell.
I said, 'Just like the pies'.
......
“Old Soul”
by CHANDRA RICE
Lighting candles in the shade
of high priests and saints,
she prays for a peace that only exists
before she discovered her power.
She cartwheels from one man to another,
paints her eyelids with graffiti,
dreams of marigolds and picket fences,
as she is used,
her body recycled,
her rent taken from parts
......
