The Poetics of Place


A peaceful moment in a deserted land, a river ride away from a dark city, a month’s sojourn far from home. Places we have been can evoke rich memories–of a loved one, a period of pain or learning, a whole lifetime. In the poems below, the writers evoke the connection between place and heart.

  • Clarence Major

    Wanderer in a Foreign Country

    I wandered in that distant country for forty days.

  • Anne Marie Rooney

    After It

    There is a boat moving blackly through the night.

  • Hồ Xuân Hương

    Autumn Landscape

    Look, and love everyone.

  • Benjamin Alire Sáenz

    The Ninth Dream: War (in the City in Which I Live)

    I am tired of chasing others off the land.

  • Wei Ying-wu

    Events on West Stream: For Lu She

    You’ve lived amid dust and noise too long.

  • Reetika Vazirani

    It’s a Young Country

    Wish you were here in this hotel.