On the subway, waiting— shadows swallow rays, drizzle smothers the sun. Some eat Halloween candy, loot from their kids. Chin in hand, worry jitters— knee bouncing. Granddad claimed God made me steel. I steal his faith on long walks. Thuds crack ties. Tense neck— I knead out kinks. Across, a woman glows blue in her phone's light. Dark skirt, tinted frames— success … [Read more...] about Luck Among Strangers, By: Andrew Cyr
Where to Start with Walt Whitman
Where to start with Walt Whitman? Begin with short poems that show his voice quickly: I Hear America Singing, O Captain! My Captain!, When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer and O Me! O Life! Then read the opening sections of Song of Myself, his masterpiece, and move on to the Civil War poems and the great elegy When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd. Poetry Catalog has hundreds … [Read more...] about Where to Start with Walt Whitman
Sonnet 60 Summary and Analysis
This Sonnet 60 summary begins at the seashore. William Shakespeare compares the minutes of our lives to waves rolling toward a pebbled beach, each one pushing the one before it toward its end. A life rises from birth to its prime, then is attacked by misfortune, and Time destroys the gifts it once gave. Time digs wrinkles in beauty and mows everything down with its scythe. Yet … [Read more...] about Sonnet 60 Summary and Analysis
To Helen Summary and Analysis (Edgar Allan Poe)
This To Helen summary begins with a compliment. In Edgar Allan Poe's short poem, the speaker tells Helen that her beauty is like the ancient ships that carried a weary traveler home across a perfumed sea. Her beauty has brought him, after long wandering, "To the glory that was Greece, / To the grandeur that was Rome." In the last stanza he sees her standing like a statue in a … [Read more...] about To Helen Summary and Analysis (Edgar Allan Poe)
Free vs. Paid Poetry Contests: Are Entry Fees Worth It?
Most poetry contests charge an entry fee, usually somewhere between a few dollars and $30 or more. In the November and December 2026 lists on our Poetry Submission Deadlines Calendar, only 4 of the 54 contests we verified were free to enter. Fees add up quickly, so it's worth knowing what you're paying for, when a fee makes sense, and how to find the good free ones. Why do … [Read more...] about Free vs. Paid Poetry Contests: Are Entry Fees Worth It?