Skip to main content
Poets.org

mobileMenu

  • Poems
  • Poets
  • Poem-a-Day
  • National Poetry Month
  • Materials for Teachers
  • Literary Seminars
  • American Poets Magazine

Main navigation

  • Poets.org
  • Academy of American Poets
  • National Poetry Month
  • American Poets Magazine

User account menu

  • Log in
  • Membership
  • Donate
Donate
Poets.org

Poem-a-Day

The only daily poetry series publishing new work by today’s poets.

Page submenu block

  • find poems
  • find poets
  • poem-a-day
  • literary seminars
  • materials for teachers
  • poetry near you

Poem-a-day

The Quiet Shift

“The power is with the silent ones ...”
—Swami Vivekananda

Something in me revels in silent mojos. Something in me anchors in chaos, collecting in folds like dripping wax. Something in me presents like solid linen while something drifts like silk in tousled winds. Something in me watches me from foreign dimensions. Something in me walks barefoot. Something in me thuds like tactical boots heard by neighbors down the street. And then something in me stays, inaudibly staring at no one. In every state, I hope to be understood. “Wait, what?” My needs, my errors, my missteps, my love, my extended giving nibble like besotted puppies with immature teeth. Deliberately, as it rains or snows, I let these lead me into some sort of wisdom as I rub my palms soothing the aridity of increasing wrinkles. 
Sigh, sigh, sigh again, sigh
I try, truly I do, I promise I try
I even sing me a soft lullaby
If nothing folds, it’s goodbye.

Copyright © 2026 by Anita Nahal. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on May 9, 2026, by the Academy of American Poets. 

read the rest

Anita Nahal

Anita Nahal
Courtesy of Anita Nahal
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Tumblr
  • View print mode
  • Copy embed code
Add to anthology

Sign up for Poem-a-Day

* indicates required

About Poem-a-Day

Poem-a-Day is the original and only daily digital poetry series featuring over 250 new, previously unpublished poems by today’s talented poets each year. Hala Alyan is the Guest Editor for May. Read or listen to a Q&A with Alyan about her curatorial process, and learn more about the 2026 Guest Editors. Support Poem-a-Day.  

If you have any questions about Poem-a-Day, visit our Poem-a-Day FAQ.

Previous Poems

Title Author Date
In the Backyard Patricia Hooper
sea of the poem (an annex so we may dream backwards) Roque Raquel Salas Rivera
Somewhere Else Matthew Shenoda
Sonnets-Realities (I) E. E. Cummings
The Wings of Daylight W. S. Merwin
For a Mouthy Woman Countee Cullen
The Taxi Amy Lowell
Lesson Three Nicole Callihan
Idyll Siegfried Sassoon
Dogwood Blossoms George Marion McClellan

Pagination

  • First page « First
  • Previous page ‹ Previous
  • …
  • Page 1320
  • Page 1321
  • Page 1322
  • Page 1323
  • …
  • Next page Next ›
  • Last page Last »

Newsletter Sign Up

Support Us

  • Become a Member
  • Donate Now
  • Get Involved
  • Make a Bequest
  • Advertise with Us

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • SoundCloud
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Footer

  • poets.org

    • Find Poems
    • Find Poets
    • Poetry Near You
    • Jobs for Poets
    • Literary Seminars
    • Privacy Policy
    • Press Center
    • Advertise
  • academy of american poets

    • About Us
    • Programs
    • Prizes
    • First Book Award
    • James Laughlin Award
    • Ambroggio Prize
    • Chancellors
    • Staff
  • national poetry month

    • Poetry & the Creative Mind
    • Dear Poet Project
    • Poster
    • Sponsorship
  • american poets

    • Books Noted
    • Essays
    • Advertise
© Academy of American Poets, 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038
poets .org