"my yoga teacher kassandra" by Andrei Codrescu

December 18, 2024

has only good news for my body
and for my mind, she warms them
and she becalms them unlike her
greek namesake who left her
listeners terrified and tense
ah the onomastic turnaround
took twenty centuries to turn
the older story on its head
which explains ex-lingua why
my modern body feels comfort
in the new diachronic goddess

Copyright © 2024 by Andrei Codrescu. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on December 18, 2024, by the Academy of American Poets.

more poetry

about this poem


“This poem is a love letter to my YouTube goddess Kassandra, who makes me flexible every morning. She has overturned centuries of disbelief in her namesake’s prophecies, humbling Zeus, the mean god and helping Andrei, the humble human.”
—Andrei Codrescu

related poems

this month’s guest editor


Thanks to Victor Hernández Cruz, author of Beneath the Spanish (Coffee House Press, 2017), who curated Poem-a-Day for this month’s weekdays. Read or listen to a Q&A about Hernández Cruz’s curatorial approach and find out more about our Guest Editors for the year.

support poem-a-day


“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.

Older messages

Turn the Page in 2025: Book Your Winter Seminar Now

Thursday, December 19, 2024

Starting January 15 with Anahid Nersessian on the history of the sonnet 2025 Literary Seminars The Academy's Literary Seminars bring the magic of your favorite college poetry class to life—all from

"In a Grain of Sand" by Jesús Papoleto Meléndez

Wednesday, December 11, 2024

We are Starseeds / every one of us – December 11, 2024 donate In a Grain of Sand Jesús Papoleto Meléndez To see a world in a grain of sand … from “Auguries of Innocence” by William Blake We are

"The Talking Coconut" by Ed Morales

Tuesday, December 10, 2024

Sunset at Luquillo wetlands / Brings the biting flies December 10, 2024 donate The Talking Coconut Ed Morales Sunset at Luquillo wetlands Brings the biting flies As night sky caresses The murmuring

"A Cuban Modernist in Miami" by Adrian Castro

Tuesday, December 10, 2024

Transcendental poses are fractured by migration December 4, 2024 donate A Cuban Modernist in Miami Adrian Castro Transcendental poses are fractured by migration In Rafael Soriano's chimeras dreams

"How Some of Us Survived Cuando El Mundo Did Not Want Us" by Emanuel Xavier

Tuesday, December 10, 2024

In the shadows of city lights, we dwelled, / untold stories, almas olvidadas, December 5, 2024 donate How Some of Us Survived Cuando El Mundo Did Not Want Us Emanuel Xavier In the shadows of city

You Might Also Like

30% Off The Weekly Wrap

Thursday, December 19, 2024

Lock in this rate indefinitely! ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

Walmart's Last-Minute Gifts Deliver Holiday Savings Galore 🎁

Thursday, December 19, 2024

Finish your shopping and save. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

See What You're Looking At

Thursday, December 19, 2024

New York, New York ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

Settle In for Your Seasonal Viewing from BLAG

Thursday, December 19, 2024

Six hours of talks, interviews, studio visits, and demonstrations from contributors to BLAG 05. BLAG Magazine: Adventures in Sign Painting Craft, Community & Culture Settle In for Your Seasonal

AI is guzzling gas

Thursday, December 19, 2024

Big Tech is paying for gas plants and pipelines to directly power data centers, threatening global climate goals. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

Holy side hustle

Thursday, December 19, 2024

— Check out what we Skimm'd for you today December 19, 2024 Subscribe Read in browser Header Image Together with FlavCity But first: a fool-proof way to make mornings easier (and healthier) Update

"Blues Franchise" by David Henderson

Thursday, December 19, 2024

Blues as art as theme as exhibition / Up on a midtown metropolis edifice December 19, 2024 donate Blues Franchise David Henderson Line from a letter, “Blues Franchise.” I believe it is a motif language

Poems and resources for December

Thursday, December 19, 2024

Celebrate the holidays with poetry Facebook Twitter Instagram December 2024 holiday poems To celebrate the holidays in December, share poems about Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's, and more with our

We need poetry more than ever

Thursday, December 19, 2024

View this email in your browser Dear Friend, I can't help but take Academy Chancellor Tracy K. Smith's words to heart: “Language urges you to push against what you might think you know, what

The fanciest food, kitchen, and cookware gifts imaginable

Thursday, December 19, 2024

Chef Massimo Bottura launches collab to feed hungry New Yorkers. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌