Category Archives: The Next Chapter

“Legacies” by Nikki Giovanni

Poem explores one generation's transmission to another
Posted on July 4, 2024 by Rachel Jones (Blog Writer, SevenPonds)

her grandmother called her from the playground        “yes, ma’am”        “i want chu to learn how to make rolls” said the old woman proudly but the little girl didn’t want to learn how because she knew even if she … Continue reading →

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“Sunflowers” By Hillary Gonzalez

A poem about the author's desire to seek out the light
Posted on June 1, 2024 by Caitlin Manner (Blog Writer) SevenPonds

When I die, Don’t place my  Wasted husk In a wooden box Buried six feet under Where I can’t feel the rain. 

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Mary Oliver’s “Heavy” Speaks to the Weight of Grief

The poet eloquently conveys the dizzying effect of loss
Posted on May 1, 2024 by Kathleen Clohessy Editor-in Chief/SevenPonds

That time I thought I could not go any closer to grief without dying I went closer, and I did not die. Surely God had his hand in this, as well as friends. Still, I was bent, and my laughter, … Continue reading →

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“Torch” by Catherine Broadwall

Poem explores the annual fire season’s impact on thousands across North America
Posted on April 4, 2024 by Rachel Jones (Blog Writer, SevenPonds)

  Outside my window is a gold, gold tree. Its leaves are not ombré. They are solid gold. Like a kid might color in      a sun with yellow crayon. The tree glows like       a holy pyre,                 a fluttering liturgical … Continue reading →

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“Amazon History of a Former Nail Salon Worker” by Ocean Vuong

A simple list of online orders chronicles a woman's end-of-life purchases
Posted on March 2, 2024 by Brianna Deutsch (Blog Writer, SevenPonds)

Mar. Advil (ibuprofen), 4 pack Sally Hansen Pink Nail Polish, 6 pack Clorox Bleach, industrial size Diane hair pins, 4 pack Seafoam handheld mirror “I Love New York” T-shirt, white, small

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“Immortality” by Clare Harner Lyon

A comforting elegy without clear origins
Posted on February 3, 2024 by Caitlin Manner (Blog Writer) SevenPonds

Does this poem sound familiar?     Do not stand           By my grave, and weep.     I am not there,           I do not sleep— I am the thousand winds that blow … Continue reading →

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