As the news and facts from Corona Virus accrued, I have found myself restless, at moments rudderless given the uncertainty and lack of clarity all around. 

The social separation necessary to spread contagion has also brought on an emotional destabilizing effect. I realized that I must not be the only person feeling confused, isolated, worried, in these uncertain times. 

In this spirit I’ve created Poems to Lean On, a space where we can share with each other poems to offer fortitude, hope, resilience, humor. The poems are posted in english on the WA Poet Laureate website (link above) and in Spanish at Poemas Para La Cuarentena, a collaboration with the local organization Seattle Escribe.

The idea is to share a link to a poem and in two or three lines convey what about this particular poem resonates with you, tell how it moves you.

It is at liminal times that we most lean on poetry: weddings, births, inaugurations, graduations, funerals. Times of transitions, times of change, times thick with emotion. This is such a time. Please send your chosen poem with a link (unless it is your own poem you would like to share) and your two to three line explanation to poet@humanities.org. 

Be well! 
– Claudia Castro Luna

ABOUT CLAUDIA CASTRO LUNA is serving as the poet laureate from 2018-2020. She is the author of the poetry chapbook This City and the collection Killing Marías, and was appointed Seattle’s first Civic Poet. In that position, Castro Luna won acclaim for her Seattle Poetic Grid, an online interactive map showcasing poems about different locations around the city. She succeeds poets Tod Marshall (2016-2018), Elizabeth Austen (2014-2016), Kathleen Flenniken (2012–2014), and Sam Green (2007–2009).

READ MORE POEMS FROM WASHINGTON POET LAUREATE