Poem of the Day

Start each day with a poem delivered to your inbox! Poems are selected by Poetry Foundation editors and guests to correspond with historic events, poet anniversaries, and more from the 49,000+ poem archive.

Sign up for newsletters

arrowRight

Explore the editors' discussions

Ready to Lose to Salah ad-Din II

By Edward Salem

I sat up in bed with my legs crossed
for too long, and when they started prickling
and feeling heavy, I felt like I could begin
to understand  Jesus’s suffering.

I drove to a largely empty Jerusalem.
Almost a thousand years ago, rows of soldiers
had lined up for battle, ready to lose to Salah ad-Din.
In three hours, Damascus Gate would be bustling.

Read More
A note from the editor:

Listen to Edward Salem on Wake, Butterfly, a new audio series of intimate portraits that invite listeners to keep creating.

p1
This Poem Appears In

Sign Up to Receive the Poem of the Day

An asterisk (*) denotes a required field.
Email newsletters:

RECENT POEMS OF THE DAY

Poem

History Lesson

By Natasha Trethewey
I am four in this photograph, standing   
Poem

An Optimism

By Cameron Awkward-Rich
It is morning. Remember that
Poem

sorrows

By Lucille Clifton
who would believe them winged
Poem

Willow

By Anna Akhmatova
...and a decrepit handful of trees
Poem

Jaws

By Emma Hine
I don’t realize I’m starved
Poem

For My People

By Margaret Walker
For my people For my people In an interview for Callaloo literary journal
Poem

The Gift

By Li-Young Lee
To pull the metal splinter from my palm