LETTER VII: Remember to Breathe

To hear poetry and to read poetry are different acts.

Reading poetry makes me feel calm.

And you, dear reader, I wonder if

you also feel this way.

Consider this articulation.

Reading poetry: You must gaze upon, pay attention to words, and

consider pacing,

an attentiveness not usually asked

in our contemporary world.

I gaze into your eyes, we remember to breathe.

Turn the page.

Reading poetry is the opposite of eating with

your phone

Without thought to the

opening and closing of one’s mouth

The taste and texture of the food on the edges and tips of

one’s tongue

Warmth of the food, and how it envelops you.

A different kind of information than the Scroll.

Credit

Copyright © 2026 by Margaret Rhee. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on July 10, 2026, by the Academy of American Poets.

About this Poem

“‘LETTER VII: Remember to Breathe’ reflects on the intersection of poetry and technology, a topic that has fascinated me for many years. The poem considers how reading poetry differs from everyday technological engagement and asks what might be lost when digital devices are constantly at hand. The poem is part of a book manuscript, ‘Poetry Machines: Letters to Future Readers,’ that includes poetry and essays. It emerged from a new media artwork I created in 2014, The Kimchi Poetry Machine, exhibited in Electronic Literature Collection, Volume III. Both projects explore poetry and technology and illuminate how poetry can help us better understand technology’s complexities and hopeful possibilities.”
—Margaret Rhee