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Poem-a-Day

The only daily poetry series publishing new work by today’s poets.

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Poem-a-day

Why Say That

why say that 
under 
what authority 
do you mean 
seeing 
who sees

a lifelike figure 
struck by 
lightning or coincidence 
a man 
open 
in his pockets 
in an empty room

outside 
seen from the inside 
is complex 
outside 
looking towards the inside 
is simple

~~

what penetrates him

a nice day?

with a wave with a waste 
of his hands

folderollicles away 
down

Mr. janitor 
jingles

desperate

I’ll monster you with my

ruff 
rough ruff

~~

I find myself

smiling

cat in sun

pleasure

like a little animal

comes up

like a big animal

chin glistening

yellow in the day

blue at night

Copyright © 2025 by Fiona Templeton. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on July 22, 2025, by the Academy of American Poets.

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Fiona Templeton

Fiona Templeton
Courtesy of Hugo Glendinning
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About Poem-a-Day

Poem-a-Day is the original and only daily digital poetry series featuring over 250 new, previously unpublished poems by today’s talented poets each year. Khadijah Queen is the Guest Editor of July. Read or listen to a Q&A with Queen about her curatorial process, and learn more about the 2025 Guest Editors. Support Poem-a-Day.  

If you have any questions about Poem-a-Day, visit our Poem-a-Day FAQ.

Previous Poems

Title Author Date
One Geography of Belonging Kayleb Rae Candrilli 01/18/2019
Fish & Duck Skills Metta Sáma 01/17/2019
Untitled Maged Zaher 01/16/2019
Only we make beautiful things just to destroy them Vickie Vértiz 01/15/2019
Delilah Trevor Ketner 01/14/2019
Winter-Lull D. H. Lawrence 01/13/2019
This Much and More Djuna Barnes 01/12/2019
Feel Piece 4 Laura Wetherington 01/11/2019
I hear a dog who is always in my death Samuel Ace 01/10/2019
Eccles. 9:7 01/09/2019

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