“Poetry lifts the veil from the hidden beauty of the world,” as Shelley put it, just as it reveals its complexities. Our offerings here include a loving and detailed ode to transgender people; a succinct meditation on what is required to survive if you are black; and a deeply personal reckoning with a dark chapter in Cambodia’s history. These Top 5 Poems of the Week shine a light on what asks to be seen. We know you will be as stunned, stirred, and illuminated as we were.
The Poem of the Week series for 2017–2018 starts on November 6. If you would like to send a poem for consideration as a Poem of the Week, please see our Guidelines. Each October the top five Poems of the Week are selected for special notice.
Congratulations to the winners. Each receives a $150 award.
Ellen Bass
Jubilate Homo
The eye of the male and the eye of the female is the same eye.
Bob Hicok
Verve Is to Élan What Kissing Is to Kissing Longer
Unto my soul, I wear a crown of Legos you can’t see.
Nicole Sealey
Hysterical Strength
A child lifting a sedan to free his father pinned underneath.
Monica Sok
Tuol Sleng
She sobbed over the sink and spoke about it for the first time.
Keith S. Wilson
Aubade to a Collapsed Star
My hands confused for want of your hands or waist.
