Poem-a-Day
Poem-a-Day is the original and only daily digital poetry series featuring over 250 new, previously unpublished poems by today's talented poets each year. On weekdays, poems are accompanied by exclusive commentary and audio by the poets. The series highlights classic poems on weekends. Launched in 2006, Poem-a-Day is distributed via email, web, and social media to 500,000+ readers free of charge. The series is curated by twelve poets from across the country who have wide-ranging expertise and editorial perspectives. Learn more about the 2019 guest editors and revisit the 2018 guest editors and the poems they curated. Read more about Clint Smith's approach to curating February.
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My Eyes Have Seen What My Heart Has Felt
My Eyes Have Seen What My Heart Has Felt
Guilty Guilty Guilty for actions that took my sympathy Shackles around my wrist shackles at my feet Prom and high school graduation these eyes will never see My heart said, Oh well At least you will no longer have to endure your daily home abuse I grew into a woman unbalanced behind those wire fences Recall (3xs) that’s all I knew Always committing some illegal offenses straight to the SHU These eyes have seen the bottom of boots, Mace in the face, The heavy blue dress while people watch you 24hrs a day, A lock in a sock, Shall I go on? My heart was always heavy when I constantly placed myself back in the same abuse I thought I would escape I knew I had something in me worth showing the world, but what? Fighting my demons was real tuff A peaceful life didn’t feel so ruff I opened my mouth and people was shocked That I could read, count, think, understand, listen, play chess, learn a trade They started to see my worth My eyes have seen a life the majority would have failed surviving Rape, abuse, homelessness, parent-less, drugs, prison, mental health, failure My heart became strong enough to finally love myself And I finally looked up to the woman in the mirror
Copyright © 2019 by Cheleta T. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on February 22, 2019, by the Academy of American Poets.
Copyright © 2019 by Cheleta T. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on February 22, 2019, by the Academy of American Poets.
previous poems
date |
title | author |
|---|---|---|
| February 21, 2019 | A poem from a father to his youngest son. | Timothy TB |
| February 20, 2019 | War Within Myself | Daniel K. |
| February 19, 2019 | Sometimes I Cry | |
| February 18, 2019 | A Cell | |
| February 17, 2019 | The Mortal Lease | Edith Wharton |
| February 16, 2019 | Love Songs (I) | Mina Loy |
| February 15, 2019 | to be considered before inviting everyone to The Cookout™ | Rasheed Copeland |
| February 14, 2019 | Hon or We have both traveled from the other side of some hill, one side of which we may wish we could forget | Anis Mojgani |
| February 13, 2019 | 1000 | Safia Elhillo |
| February 12, 2019 | When I Am a Hummingbird | Alan Michael Parker |