Lockdown Gardens: "Set with raindrops"By Arvind Krishna MehrotraSet with raindrops, displayedbetween the king’s mantle and the litchi tree,was the cobweb I almost walked...NatureAnimalsJoy & ContentmentAnimals
Knoxville, TennesseeBy Nikki GiovanniI always like summer best you can eat fresh corn from daddy's garden and okra and greens and cabbage...NatureSummerLivingYouthActivitiesEating & DrinkingSports and Outdoor ActivitiesTimeless Treasures
LullabyBy Bert MeyersGo to sleep my daughter go to sleep my son once this world was water without anyoneLivingTimeless Treasures
WishBy Linda Sue ParkFor someone to read a poem again, and again, and then, having lifted it from page to brain—the easy ...Arts & Culture
Poetry is My UnderwearBy April Halprin WaylandMy sister found them. Read them out loud. She’s so proud, she’s running to our parents waving my poems in the ...LivingYouthRelationshipsFamily & AncestorsArts & SciencesPoetry & PoetsDisappointmentArts & CultureBeing Oneself + 2 more
SPRING BREAKBy April Halprin WaylandThe best clouds in the business are right above me right now. We’re riding in this teal convertible ...RelationshipsFamily & AncestorsActivitiesTravels & JourneysJoy & ContentmentFun & GamesTimeless Treasures
On Quiet FeetBy Nikki GrimesWhen my dad walks into a room, or down the street, he inches up on me silent as shadow, and I don't ...RelationshipsFamily & AncestorsClassicsTimeless Treasures
New MathBy Nikki GrimesUp till now, the math of my life has been pretty simple: friends plus family plus sports. What more ...LivingComing of AgeYouthBeing Oneself
p1“I am here because somebody survived”By Cornelius Eady—Mahogany L. Browne, “On Meditation” Which means, sometimes, you disarm The goon by acting the fool—what they ...Social CommentariesLivingComing of AgeLife ChoicesAnxiety & InsecurityDisappointmentOptimismBeing Oneself
p1Ode to LangstonBy Dawn QuigleyLangston, we too, sing Turtle Island. We are the 574 Nations. They want to hide us In the past tense...Social CommentariesRace & EthnicityHistory & PoliticsAngerBeing OneselfCulture
p1Blue Earth BanksBy Dawn QuigleyTheir memory, do not let it lie fallow On the blue earth banks Which caught the 38 tears As they spilled...LivingSorrow & GrievingGriefFor All AgesCulture
p1This Body IIBy Renée WatsonMy body is perfect and imperfect and black and girl and big and thick hair and short legs and scraped...LivingThe BodyJoy & ContentmentBeing Oneself
p1Manhunt or Ode to First KissesBy Elizabeth Acevedoit was always the older kids running to Riverside, hiding behind trees and underneath jungle gyms, holding...LivingLife ChoicesYouthThe MindMemory & NostalgiaRelationshipsFriends & EnemiesFun & Games
p1The Summer You Learned to SwimBy Michael SimmsThe summer you learned to swim was the summer I learned to be at peace with myself. In May you were ...LivingParenthoodActivitiesSports & Outdoor ActivitiesGriefJoy & ContentmentSports and Outdoor ActivitiesTimeless Treasures
p1School—12:15By Tina Boyer BrownImagine the lunchroom, crowded and wary— seating charts a welcome apprehension. Loose-leaf papers spiraled...LivingYouthActivitiesSchool & LearningJoy & ContentmentSchool
p1Who Will Tell Them?By Michael SimmsIt turns out you can kill the earth, Crack it open like an egg. It turns out you can murder the sea,...NatureSocial CommentariesHistory & PoliticsDisappointmentGriefScience
p1Nowhere Else to GoBy Linda Sue ParkTurn off the lights. Wear another layer. (Sounds like a dad.) (Sounds like a mom.) You say hand-me-down...LivingYouthActivitiesSchool & LearningAnxiety & InsecurityBeing OneselfSchool
p1Red-Crowned CraneBy Linda Sue Parkcurve and swoosh of wondrous white brushstroked black the throat and wings modest cap of scarlet stretch...NatureAnimalsJoy & ContentmentAnimals
p1UndoneBy Padma VenkatramanThey ignored the new boy, snickering behind his back. In silence, I stayed safe. My lips pressed together...LivingComing of AgeYouthRelationshipsFriends & EnemiesActivitiesSchool & LearningBlameDisappointmentSchool + 3 more
p1Whenever you see a treeBy Padma VenkatramanThink how many long years this tree waited as a seed for an animal or bird or wind or rain to maybe ...NatureTrees & FlowersOptimismScience