Today, the dreaded Friday the 13th, is the perfect time for the luckless and superstitious. Make sure to avoid ladders and cracks in the sidewalk, be careful with mirrors, and, of course, remember to watch out for black cats that might cross your path—though some verses by Rilke may be a good reminder.
Whether your Friday turns out to be freaky or fun, toss some salt over your shoulder and give yourself a lucky boost with poems about luck by Emily Dickinson, Laura Kasischke, Ada Limón, David Rivard, and others. If you’d rather collect a few more new superstitions instead, get writing with Aimee Nezhukumatathil’s essay “The Poetry of Superstition and Supposition.”