Poem-a-Day - "Hoof" by Donna Spruijt-Metz

Support Poem-a-Day

November 7, 2023

Hoof

Donna Spruijt-Metz

^{—after Psalm 89, lines 26–35}

Is it that I have had a richness
of choices, have I gazelled
sideways from one riverstone to the next?

         Or has this been a series
         of false starts—
         the hoof withdrawn
         at the slightest snow?

January’s Wolf Moon calls her pups
into the night—marks
their necessary kill. We all
need to eat

even in snow—hoof paused
over the water—my heart says
trust—my tracks say
doubt

Subscribe to the Poem-a-Day Podcast

“This self-portrait was drafted after the full moon in January 2021, in the wake of California lifting all COVID stay-at-home orders. I was terrified and not ready to leave the quiet seclusion of my house. The lines from Psalm 89 that inform, maybe even underpin, this poem reflect the Psalmist’s emblematic and inscrutable comfort, the fraught nature of our own desires, how each step takes us closer or further from what is holy, how we can only make our best guesses and get on with it because life requires motion. Yet we cloak our world in cruelty—and I hesitate.”
―Donna Spruijt-Metz

Donna Spruijt-Metz is a Jewish poet and the author of General Release from the Beginning of the World (Parlor Press/Free Verse Editions, 2023). A MacDowell Fellow, she is the recipient of the 2023 Harbor Review Editions Editor’s Prize. She lives in Los Angeles.

General Release from the Beginning of the World
(Parlor Press/Free Verse Editions, 2023)

“Sea Ranch Psalm” by Julia B. Levine
read more

“The Lobelias of Fear” by Bernadette Mayer
read more

Thanks to Steve Bellin-Oka, author of Instructions for Seeing a Ghost (University of North Texas Press, 2020), who curated Poem-a-Day for this month’s weekdays. Read or listen to a Q&A about Bellin-Oka’s curatorial approach and find out more about our guest editors for the year.

“Poem-a-Day is brilliant because it makes space in the everyday racket for something as meaningful as a poem.” —Tracy K. Smith

If this series is meaningful to you, join the community of Poem-a-Day supporters by making a gift today. Now serving more than 320,000 daily subscribers, this publication is only possible thanks to the contributions of readers like you.

donate

From Our Sponsors

Copyright © 2023 The Academy of American Poets, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website.

Our mailing address is:

The Academy of American Poets

75 Maiden Lane

STE #901

New York, NY 10038

Add us to your address book

View this email in your browser

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from all Academy messages.

For any other questions, please visit the Poem-a-Day FAQ page.

Older messages

"My Poisonous Cousin the Pipevine Swallowtail" by Amy Beeder

Monday, November 6, 2023

come again in summer, larvae ravening the bitter vine Facebook Twitter Instagram Support Poem-a-Day November 6, 2023 My Poisonous Cousin the Pipevine Swallowtail Amy Beeder come again in summer, larvae

"The Arid Land" by Lynn Riggs

Sunday, November 5, 2023

There will be willows plunging Facebook Twitter Instagram Poem-a-Day is reader-supported. Your gift today will help the Academy of American Poets continue to publish the work of 260 poets each year,

"Sippokni Sia" by Winnie Lewis Gravitt

Saturday, November 4, 2023

I am old, Sippokni sia. Facebook Twitter Instagram Poem-a-Day is reader-supported. Your gift today will help the Academy of American Poets continue to publish the work of 260 poets each year, and share

"Cold War" by Randall Mann

Friday, November 3, 2023

Because you're twenty-two, and in your prime, Facebook Twitter Instagram Support Poem-a-Day November 3, 2023 Cold War Randall Mann If you can remember the cold war, you're too old for me. —

Weaving Sundown in a Scarlet Light: Fifty Poems for Fifty Years by Joy Harjo

Thursday, November 2, 2023

Amal Clooney’s Unexpected New Hair Color Is As Festive As It Is Fabulous

Thursday, November 30, 2023

Absolutely enchanting. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

"Buttercream Blonde" Will Be 2024's Hottest Hair Trend

Thursday, November 30, 2023

Plus, this royal family member is a total Swiftie. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Everything You Need to Know About Poria, the 'House-Eating' Fungus

Thursday, November 30, 2023

How to Download Instagram Reels (and Stop Others From Downloading Yours). Meruliporia incrassata is a fast and destructive fungus that can severely damage your home. Here's what to do if you find

Bethenny Frankel, Still Dragging Everyone

Thursday, November 30, 2023

What's new today on the Cut — covering style, self, culture, and power, plus interviews, profiles, columns, and commentary from our editors. Brand Logo THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30 REALITY RECKONING

What we know about McDonald’s new chain

Thursday, November 30, 2023

'The Bear' is on track to resume production next year ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Channel The Slopes With Winter Styles From Old Navy

Thursday, November 30, 2023

Discover peak fashion for the entire fam. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Join us on December 14 for Gather in Poems

Thursday, November 30, 2023

Join us for a virtual reading featuring beloved poets from our community Join us for Gather in Poems, an evening of readings hosted in the spirit of gratitude, featuring: Elizabeth Acevedo Kwame Dawes

Tourist Olives

Thursday, November 30, 2023

Paying too much in Sicily ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Reverse Glass Gilding Processes in an Informative Video Overview

Thursday, November 30, 2023

Pat Minervini on the techniques used to create his decorative gilded glass piece for Gretsch Guitar. BLAG Magazine: Adventures in Sign Painting Craft, Community & Culture BLAG Magazine: Adventures

Scientifically Intuitive Exercise

Thursday, November 30, 2023

From science-led to science-informed. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌