because in times of uncertainty, poems can be buoys
“The World below the brine” by Walt Whitman
Poets and Poetry – 19th Century
My very favorite Whitman. Something about the world that exists below, in the darkness of the ocean, reminds me that there are things that we humans will never know, and that, for some reason, makes me calm and hopeful.
Read The World below the brine
“American Smooth” by Rita Dove
Poets and Poetry – 21st Century
Rita Dove is a genius of verse and one of our greatest living poets. The dueling powers of serene elation and melancholy reality make this poem both exquisitely tragic and perfectly (and tragically) American.
“High Windows” by Philip Larkin
Poets and Poetry – 20th Century
Larkin is one of my top five favorite poets of all time. This was the poem that first pulled me to him.
The Literary Voyeur 