Tag: National Poetry Month 2026

  • Poet Pick – Shutta Crum

    Poet Pick – Shutta Crum

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    by

    Constance Brewer
    in

    Norma Jeane ~after Milton Greene’s Marilyn Monroe—Ballerina Sittingpoor Milton—I’ve kept him waitinghe wants me to pose againthey’ve gathered meinto a see-through poof of netting—a kind of tutu—all flounces and fussthe bodice, too small (of course)can’t be zippedI hold it against my breastshe wants Marilyn—and I bring herlips parted—he says, needierand I do that—lifting my browsa…

  • Poet Pick – Sean Whalen

    Poet Pick – Sean Whalen

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    by

    Constance Brewer
    in

    Crow at Dawncocks a black pearlto the impending lightfolds his wings over a holein the canopy of treesbinds the fabric of his cloaktighter to the earthcollects the glitter of starsthe barking of dogsthe crawling of grubsthe screams of doomedfowl in his throatwhets his beakalong the scaled branchuntil it is sharpas the wind on the edgeof…

  • Poet Pick – Sarah Banks

    Poet Pick – Sarah Banks

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    by

    Constance Brewer
    in

    Elegy for a Pine TreeThe pine stressed by droughtdied last summer. Beetles attacked,bored holes through the bark.Here, in chilly air, its branches shedtheir copper needles. Pointy pompomsdrop from scaly limbs. No spearmint spikesflicker through the winter,but pitch tubes dot the trunk—sticky clusters of popcorn sapthe tree expelled, an attempt to blockthe beetles from the inner…

  • Poet Pick – Roy N. Mason

    Poet Pick – Roy N. Mason

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    by

    Constance Brewer
    in

    Don’t Make it Difficult I like sad songs—death, longing and love wrapped in bubblegumMost sing along blind—swaying hips, tapping toesunaware they’re in the throes Not long ago I was doing a random writing prompt search one afternoon and came across the following- Prompt: Playing with word meanings (https://nadjamaril.com/2024/10/14/creative-writing-playing-with-word-meanings/) The word I chose was bubblegum. I’ve…

  • Poet Pick – Miriam Sagan

    Poet Pick – Miriam Sagan

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    by

    Constance Brewer
    in

    Translation from Imaginary YiddishNight, say somethingI’m awake as well in my house in my usual bed with my usual bad right leg.At four o’clock in the morning my heart beats in its usual fashion if only it were a door knobto open everything.Salt on the sidewalk in winter salt on the garden slugs in spring…

  • Poet Pick- Michelle McMillan-Holifield

    Poet Pick- Michelle McMillan-Holifield

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    by

    Constance Brewer
    in

    A Million Tender Somethings After “For My People” by Margaret Walker AlexanderFor those whose blurting out to heaven never ceases, the self-critics who blame themselves for every failure, for this biggest failure;For the prodded and piped and pained who remain with-echo;For those who bought themselves a coffee after the OBGYN, after the fertility specialist, after…