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Poem-a-day

In a Grain of Sand

^{To see a world in a grain of sand …

—from “Auguries of Innocence” by William Blake}

We are Starseeds
every one of us –
you & me,
& me and you
& him & her,
& them
& they
& those
Who know of this
     are truly blessed …

True for all
   living beings,
beings living –
not humans only,
but ants & trees
& the open breeze,
things that breathe
air or fire,
water, earth
   all kinds of dust
& dirt,
particles
a part of all,
all a part
  of
Everything
that is
in everything;
Thus, it Sings!!!
& its song
is Life,
& Life
                                                                        is!!! …
a seed of Stars,
the dust of Suns
& Moons
rocks & dust
& outer smoke
  in outer space
Floating
in a bath of timelessness,
   counted, measured
numbered
by some species –
others caring not;
Science & Mathematics
   trying to plot
Poetry in motion,
Motion
in a Helix’s curve,
And Life
on Earth
becomes visible
to You
through the naked I!

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Poems

16349 poems

The Yellow Corn

                           Come, boys, sing!—
                               Sing of the yellow corn,
                           Sing, boys, sing,
                               Sing of the yellow corn!
He springeth up from the fallow soil,
With the blade so green and tall,

Charles G. Eastman

1848

In The Matter Of Two Men

One does such work as one will not,
And well each knows the right;
Though the white storm howls, or the sun is hot,
The black must serve the white.
And it’s, oh, for the white man’s softening flesh,
While the black man’s muscles grow!
Well I know which grows the mightier,

James D. Corrothers

1922

Compensation

O, rich young lord, thou ridest by
With looks of high disdain;
It chafes me not thy title high,
Thy blood of oldest strain.
The lady riding at thy side
Is but in name thy promised bride.
Ride on, young lord, ride on!

James Edwin Campbell

1922

A Poem for My Wife

I’m in my room writing
speaking in myself
& I hear you
move down the hallway
to water your plants

I write truth on the page
I strike the word over & over
yet I worry you’ll pour too much water on the plants
& the water will overflow onto the books
ruining them

If I can’t speak out of myself
how can I tell you I don’t care about the plants?
how can I tell you I don’t care if the books get wet?

David Meltzer

2005

Poets

4358 poets

Danez Smith

Danez Smith is the author of Don’t Call Us Dead (Graywolf Press, 2017) and [insert] boy (YesYes Books, 2014).

Jackie Wang

Jackie Wang is the author of the poetry collection The Sunflower Cast a Spell to Save Us from the Void (Nightboat, 2021), which was longlisted for the National Book Award.

Janice Mirikitani

Janice Mirikitani was born on February 4, 1941, in Stockton, California.

Chen Chen

Chen Chen is the author of When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities (BOA Editions, 2017).

Meg Day

Meg Day grew up in California’s Bay Area and received a BA from the University of California, San Diego, an MFA from Mills College, and a PhD from

Eat Your Words: A Poetry Cookbook

Poems are emotional nourishment.

December 2024 Poem-a-Day Guest Editor Victor Hernández Cruz

Listen to a short Q&A where Victor Hernández Cruz discusses his curatorial process for Poem-a-Day.

Poem-a-Day Guest Editors in 2024

Since 2018, the Academy of American Poets has invited twelve new Guest Editors to each curate a month of

Announcements

December 9, 2024

New York, NY (December 9, 2024)—The role of a civic poet has taken on greater importance as more readers seek out poetry to understand the world in which they live, while a rise in book

October 18, 2024

New York, NY (October 18, 2024)—NAOMI SHIHAB NYE

October 10, 2024

New York, NY (October 10, 2024)—The Academy of American Poets announces the recipients of this year’s