An Oversight
I murdered my least defensible vices,
stacking them like bodies
in the surf.
Kaveh Akbar
Poetry
Famous Americans and Why They Were Wrong
A ribbon around an oak tree reads
brother. The oak’s roots
sinking deeper into the dirt.
A heart
Mothers I Once Was
Mother fingers in the mud. Mother begging bowl.
Daily
Rigorous Grace: A Conversation Between Leslie Jamison and Kaveh Akbar
Leslie Jamison and Kaveh Akbar discuss sobriety, surprise, and breakups.
Poetry Rx: The Fucking Reticence
Dear Poets, I feel small and lost, yet strangely alive. Even brave?
Poetry Rx: Remember the Sky That You Were Born Under
Dear Poets,I would like to see a poem for a skill I’ve picked up (unwittingly) from my mother: complimenting people in a way that feels insulting.
On Fasting
For the close of Ramadan, poet Kaveh Akbar reflects on what he learned from keeping the fast for the first time in his life.
Poetry Rx: An IV Dripping into Something Already Dead
Kaveh Akbar prescribes poems for an artist in need of support, a lover longing for another, and the child of a man who can’t quit what’s killing him.
Poetry Rx: For My Lover, Returning to His Wife
Dear poets — It was objectively the right thing to do but I am full of anger, regret, and loss. I am hoping you could recommend something that speaks to these tangled and stifled feelings.
Poetry Rx: Suddenly Something Snaps
Dear Poets, I just wish I could read a poem that captures the heartbreak of the teacher who loves, but is not loved in return. Does this poem exist?
Poetry Rx: Valentine’s Day Edition
This week, Kaveh delves into three complicated romantic questions, and finds the perfect poems to see you through.
Poetry Rx: This Was Once a Love Poem
Dear Poets: Over the past few months, a close friendship has evolved into what feels like an emotional affair. He is married. His wife is slowly dying.
Poetry Rx: And You Want to Be Liked
Poems for love you feel you don't quite deserve, anxiety you don't quite want to cure, and feeling impossibly small.
Poetry Rx: When You Weep, Sorrow Comes Clean Out
Dear Poets, Am I allowed to feel happy, to accept good things for myself? Even if it's all so fleeting? I'm unfamiliar with the geography of joy. Is there a poem for that?
Poetry Rx: I Was No Good at Survival
Poems about video games, joyous divorce, and succumbing to dreams.
Poetry Rx: Poor Deluded Human, You Seek My Heart
In our column Poetry Rx, readers write in with a specific emotion, and our resident poets—Sarah Kay, Kaveh Akbar, and Claire Schwartz—take turns prescribing the perfect poems to match. This week, Kaveh Akbar is on the line.Dear Poets, I am the da…
Poetry Rx: Like Bread in a Stay-Fresh Wrapper
In our column Poetry Rx, readers write in with a specific emotion, and our resident poets—Sarah Kay, Kaveh Akbar, and Claire Schwartz—take turns prescribing the perfect poems to match. This week, Kaveh Akbar is on the line. Dear Poets, I …
Poetry Rx: There Is a Line That Could Make You Love Me Really
In our column Poetry Rx, readers write in with a specific emotion, and our resident poets—Sarah Kay, Kaveh Akbar, and Claire Schwartz—take turns prescribing the perfect poems to match. This week, Kaveh Akbar is on the line. Dear Poets, M…
Poetry Rx: A Poem Not About Sex
In our column Poetry Rx, readers write in with a specific emotion, and our resident poets—Sarah Kay, Kaveh Akbar, and Claire Schwartz—take turns prescribing the perfect poems to match. This week, Kaveh Akbar is on the line. Dear Poets, I …
Poetry Rx: It’s Not Sad at All, Any of It
In our column Poetry Rx, readers write in with a specific emotion, and our resident poets—Sarah Kay, Kaveh Akbar, and Claire Schwartz—take turns prescribing the perfect poems to match. This week, Kaveh Akbar is on the line. Dear Poets, M…
Poetry Rx: Lie to Yourself, What You Will Lose Is Yourself
In our column Poetry Rx, readers write in with a specific emotion, and our resident poets—Sarah Kay, Kaveh Akbar, and Claire Schwartz—take turns prescribing the perfect poems to match. This week, Kaveh Akbar is on the line. Dear Poets, My…
Poetry Rx: Suicide, Wizards, and Cherry Farmers
In our column Poetry Rx, readers write in with a specific emotion, and our resident poets—Sarah Kay, Kaveh Akbar, and Claire Schwartz—take turns prescribing the perfect poems to match. This week, Kaveh Akbar is on the line. Dear Poet…
Poetry Rx: Queer Addiction and “America First” Jingoism
In our column Poetry Rx, readers write in with a specific emotion, and our resident poets—Sarah Kay, Kaveh Akbar, and Claire Schwartz—take turns prescribing the perfect poems to match. This week, Kaveh Akbar is on the line. Dear Poet…