Of course it was difficult to choose only 7! I have tons of favorite poems written across time and cultures from a wide variety of poets -- Phillis Wheatley and Elizabeth Barrett Browning; Marina Tsvetaeva and Gwendolyn Brooks; Theresa Cha and Gabriela Mistral and Lorine Niedecker. But for this, I wanted to choose some by just a few contemporary living poets (mostly emerging) whose work I admire. The pieces chosen reflect my interest in the body, in women's communities and rituals, how human beings navigate physical and cultural boundaries and conflicts, and the mind's methods of dealing with trauma.