Poems for May, selections from "You Can Be the Last Leaf," and more

May 10, 2022

Sooner or later, all leaves fall to the ground.
You can be the last leaf.
You can convince the universe
that you pose no threat
to the tree’s life.

Spend time with poems from You Can Be the Last Leaf by Maya Abu Al-Hayyat, translated by Fady Joudah, published today through Milkweed. Purchase a copy and read a selection below:

“I Suffer a Phobia Called Hope”
“Some Microbes”
“You Can’t”
“Mothers Arrange Their Aches at Night”
“A Road for Loss”

“Translation is to live in the mind of another person.”

Read a short interview with Maya Abu Al-Hayyat about her work. A Beirut-born, Palestinian novelist and poet living in Jerusalem, she is the author of several books, including You Can Be the Last Leaf (Milkweed, 2022), translated by Fady Joudah, and the director of Palestine Writing Workshop, an institution that seeks to encourage reading in Palestinian communities through creative writing projects and storytelling with children and teachers.

Poems for May

“Spring Song” by Paul Laurence Dunbar
“May” by Helen Hunt Jackson
“Fire-Flowers” by Emily Pauline Johnson
“Ode to Tired Bumblebees Who Fall Asleep Inside Flowers with Pollen on their Butts” by Luisa A. Igloria
“A Blessing” by James Wright

Content for Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month

Read contemporary and classic poems, browse book titles, essays, videos, and archival images, including this postcard from Srikanth Reddy, July 22, 2011, Illinois.

#PoetryNearYou Pick of the Week

Check out our #PoetryNearYou Pick of the Week: World Verses: An Evening of International Poetry, featuring unforgettable readings by Maori poet Tayi Tibble, Paul Tran, Greek poet Phoebe Giannisi, Japanese novelist/poet Mieko Kawakami, St. Lucia-born Ontario writer/editor Canisia Lubrin, Ukrainian poets/translators Halyna Kruk and Iya Kivaand, and Chilean poet/novelist Alejandro Zambra. Friday, May 13 at 9 p.m. ET at the NYU Skirball Center for Performing Arts. ASL interpretation provided. Register here. (Sponsored)

Apply Now: Poetry Coalition Fellowships

With thanks to the Mellon Foundation, the Poetry Coalition is pleased to announce the 2022–23 Poetry Coalition Fellowships, which are paid fellowship positions hosted by founding member organizations Letras Latinas, Mass Poetry, Urban Word, Woodland Pattern, and Youth Speaks. Applications are being accepted until July 3, 2022. The positions will begin on September 5, 2022 and end on June 30, 2023. Interested individuals that are 21 or older are encouraged to apply, including those who are enrolled in or have recently graduated from an MFA program in creative writing.

Deadline Approaching: Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize

Established in 1975, this $25,000 award recognizes the most outstanding book of poetry published in the United States in the previous calendar year. The prize includes a ten-day residency at Glen Hollow in Naples, New York, and distribution of the winning book to hundreds of Academy of American Poets members.

Submissions for the 2022 Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize will be accepted until Sunday, May 15 (11:59 p.m. ET). The judges are Matthew Shenoda, Danez Smith, and Sawako Nakayasu.

Archipelago Books in Brooklyn, New York is seeking a full-time administrative associate / memberships coordinator.
Herstory Writers Workshop is seeking an associate director.
Florida A&M University in Tallahassee is seeking an assistant professor in creative writing.

Listen to Brandy Nālani McDougall discuss her curatorial approach and her own creative work. Read more about McDougall, the author of The Salt-Wind: Ka Makani Pa'Akai (Kuleana Oiwi Press, 2008), plus poems here.

Revisit last week’s Poem-a-Day selections with us on Poets.org:

May 1: “The Moonlight” by Yvor Winters
May 2: “Message to My Sistah” by Joe Balaz
May 3: “Remembering” by Dana Naone Hall
May 4: “Love in a Time of Covid-19” by Craig Santos Perez
May 5: from “What kind of times are these?” by Penina Ava Taesali
May 6: “For Mauna a Wākea ” by Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio
May 7: “Do/Do Not” by Nisha Atalie

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Poems for May, selections from "You Can Be the Last Leaf," and more

Sooner or later, all leaves fall to the ground.
You can be the last leaf.
You can convince the universe
that you pose no threat
to the tree’s life.

Older messages

"Whānau" by Ngaio Simmons

"The Flame Tree" by Evelyn Flores

"[The city breaks in houses to the sea, uneasy with waves,]" by Charles Reznikoff

"Do/Do Not" by Nisha Atalie

"For Mauna a Wākea" by Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio

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Poems for May, selections from "You Can Be the Last Leaf," and more

Sooner or later, all leaves fall to the ground. You can be the last leaf. You can convince the universe that you pose no threat to the tree’s life.

Older messages

You Might Also Like

Sooner or later, all leaves fall to the ground.
You can be the last leaf.
You can convince the universe
that you pose no threat
to the tree’s life.