16 POEMS

 

Sixteen writers who aren’t poets each selected a poem that met Dickinson’s criteria. The poems, their authors and the writers who chose them are listed below. We’ve found online links for all but four poems. Healing is included in Gillian Allnutt’s 2018 collection, Wake. Hedge—Jug can be found in Michael Longley’s A Hundred Doors (2011). Joshua Whitehead’s to my mister going to bed is included in his full-metal indigo queer (2017). From, To is in Maya Abu Al-Hayyat’s You Can Be the Last Leaf (2022).

 

Prayer — Zaffar Kunial    (Edward Simon)

 

Night Prayer — Sally Read    (Henry Oliver)

 

To All the Clocks I’ve Killed — Allison Joseph     (Christopher Schaberg)

 

DP.f.30 — Brittany Perham   (Nicholas Taylor)

 

The Love Bird — Lashawn and Playmakers Laboratory    (Noah Berlatsky)

 

Long Point Light — Mark Doty    (Chris Ewers)

 

Hedge-Jug — Michael Longley    (Colin Burrow)

 

Isfahan, 2010 — Mehrnoosh Torbatnejad    (Steven Stoll)

 

Birds Waking — W. S. Merwin    (Steve Moyer)

 

Arlene and Esme — Emily Berry    (Devorah Baum)

 

Healing — Gillian Allnutt     (Victoria Moul)

 

Banquo’s Ghost in Paterson — Martin Espada    (Matt Hanson)

 

to my mister going to bed — Joshua Whitehead    (Marta Figlerowicz)

 

From, To — Maya Abu Al-Hayyat, translated by Fady Joudah    (Jo Livingstone)

 

Bon Appetit — Arun Kolatkar      (Abhrajyoti Chakraborty)

 

Ibadan — Adedayo Agarau     (Adachioma Ezeano)