For the Fifty (Who Formed PEACE With Their Bodies)
By Philip MetresIn the green beginning,
in the morning mist,
they emerge from their chrysalis
Calling poets to a greater role in public life and fostering a national network of socially engaged poets.
By Philip MetresIn the green beginning,
in the morning mist,
they emerge from their chrysalis
By Ocean VuongMy grandmother kisses
as if bombs are bursting in the backyard,
where mint and jasmine lace their perfumes
By Jeffrey McDanielOn the red-eye from Seattle, a two-year-old
in the seat behind me screeches
his miniature guts out.
By Francisco AragónDespite the absent head (whose eyes
were the green of apples)
By Natalie IllumThe first time I saw these activists turned
acrobats, I was immobilized as they arched
through hoops, twisting like DNA.
By Richard McCannWhat I could not accept was how much space
his body was taking with it: for instance, the space where
I was standing, the dazed fluorescence of his hospital room
By Allison Adelle Hedge CokeAmerica, I sing back. Sing back what sung you in.
Sing back the moment you cherished breath.
Sing you home into yourself and back to reaso