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Poem-a-day

Peonies

What are these strangers
sitting on the table in their ruffled
collars. They open, close, open,
emit the scent of cracked pepper
and honey. Magenta punctuation marks
at which to pause. Pink commas
against the green scrub.
I would trade ten goats for one whiff
of peonies opening in a vase.
An ancient proverb says
you should not let a woodpecker
see you plucking a peony
lest it peck out your eyes.
We are afraid of happiness.
Peonies are to loneliness
what wind is to the trees.
Are they animal? Mineral?
Vegetable? They move
as the sun moves. When I
brought them home
they were dark. Now,
a whisper, balletic tulle.
They are not diminished
even as they turn to smoke.

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Danusha Laméris

Poems

4 poems

Karl Lagerfeld’s line of beauty

is up The Met’s stone steps,
so many that I have trouble collecting
my girthy tourist’s breaths

and my palms, all sweaty,
smeared with ink
from his crinkled face,

wrinkled in the brochure, and
to think I’m too underdressed
for a pocket square,

Tommye Blount

2025

I Decide to Tell Ghost Cowboy My Intentions

I’m writing
a love poem
even with
an American
boot to
my throat.

I lick the croony
sole and picture
you in a fresh white
wife pleaser.

C. Russell Price

2025

Trim

At the end

of the story,

we exchanged

hair. Two tiny

Ziploc bags,

little plastic

windows.

I sheared off

the tip

of my braid,

candlewick

Yalie Saweda Kamara

2025

Night Was Done

Night was done. We rose and after
Washing, dressing,—kissed with laughter,—
After all, the sweet night knows.
Lilac breakfast cups were clinking
While we sat like brothers drinking
Tea,—and kept our dominoes.

Mikhail Kuzmin

1921

Poets

5 poets

Langston Hughes

A poet, novelist, fiction writer, and playwright, Langston Hughes is known for his insightful, colorful portrayals of black life in America from the twenties through the sixties and was important in shaping the artistic contributions of the Harlem Renaissance.

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Terrance Hayes

The 2010 winner of the National Book Award in poetry, Terrance Hayes is the author of seven poetry collections. He currently serves on the Board of Chancellors of the Academy of American Poets.

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Danez Smith

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

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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.

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Janice Mirikitani

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

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Features

National Poetry Month 30th Anniversary

National Poetry Month was inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996. Over the years, it has become the largest literary celebration in the world with schools, publishers, libraries, booksellers, and poets celebrating poetry’s vital place in our culture.

Poetry & the Creative Mind 2026

Penguin Random House, the Poetry Foundation, W. W. Norton & Company, Alfred A. Knopf, Copper Canyon Press

2026 National Poetry Month Sponsors & Partners

Our Thanks

National Poetry Month is made possible in part through the generous support of these sponsors: Penguin Random House, the Poetry Foundation, W. W. Norton & Company, Alfred A. Knopf, Copper Canyon Press, HarperCollins/Ecco, Haymarket Books, the Jackson Center for Creative Writing at Hollins University, The Georgia Review, Wake Forest University Press, Wayne State University Press, and Wesleyan University Press, Stadler Center at Bucknell University, The Song Cave, University of Wisconsin Press, Alaska Quarterly Review, BOA Editions, Ltd., CavanKerry Press, City Lights Booksellers & Publishers, Four Way Books, Modern Language Association of America, Persea Books, Ploughshares, the National Writing Project, and The Kenyon Review, whose support helps bring poetry to classrooms, libraries, and communities nationwide.

April 2026 Poem-a-Day Guest Editor Dorianne Laux

In 2026, the Academy of American Poets invited twelve poets to ea

Bully: A Love Note

Every poem is a vehicle I hope will carry me from self-delusion into self-discovery.

Poem-a-Day Guest Editors in 2026

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

Announcements

April 1, 2026

The virtual benefit reading will take place on April 28, 2026, featuring a star-studded lineup of celebrities and cultural leaders reading inspiring and favorite poems.

March 26, 2026

This year’s celebration includes a range of free, public-facing programs—from Poem-a-Day and Dear Poet to Poetry & the Creative Mind—as well as a national spotlight on Poetry Near You, our calendar featuring hundreds of…

March 18, 2026

Academy of American Poets Awards 2026 Ambroggio Prize to Amanda Hernández. Hernández’s poetry collection is translated by Ana Portnoy Brimmer and will be published by University of Arizona Press.

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Poem-a-day

Poems

Poets

Langston Hughes

Terrance Hayes

Danez Smith

Jackie Wang

Janice Mirikitani

Features

Announcements

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