from 2025 post in ModPo When Armantrout wrote “Freeze Tag,” it was after 9/11, a time of war talk, fear, and pressure to keep buying as a way of showing “patriotism” as part of a culture that encouraged shopping as reassurance. People worried about poisons in the air, in food, in clothes. Her poem shows…
Primacy of Moral Influence in Warfare: A Mesostic Reflection on Sun Tzu’s Art of War
from my 2024 post in ModPo This Cagean mesostic poem, is built around the spine words “MORAL INFLUENCE, COMMAND, DOCTRINE,” that draws from Sun Tzu’s Art of War to explore a critical subset of the five fundamental factors he identifies for appraising war. The other two are TERRAIN and WEATHER. Too long for the spine….
The Geography of the Unfinished Room
Frontier Poetry is excited to congratulate the THIRD PLACE winner of the 2026 Hurt & Healing Prize— Maryam Daftari with her poem “The Geography of the Unfinished Room”
As it Rises One Degree
Iowa Poetry Association First Prize for Traditional Form 2024 Maryam Daftari Glaciers weep into the sea, unseen tears, as it rises one degree,the polar bear mourns swallowed shores, as it rises one degree. Fields whose flowers danced in the sun, now lie wilted and bare,a thirsty earth gasps for rain, as it rises one degree….
Daydreaming in Guadalajara: Unpacking Ashbery’s “The Instruction Manual”
John Ashbery’s “The Instruction Manual” presents a deceptively simple narrative of imaginative escape. On a closer examination it reveals a complex interplay of reality, fantasy, and the artistic process itself. As with much of Ashbery’s work, we are confronted with a surface of apparent banality – the tedium of composing an instruction manual – which…
Gertrude Stein and Emily Dickinson: An Exploration of Divergent Paths but Shared Modernist Impulse
Gertrude Stein and Emily Dickinson, are two monumental stars in American literature; they revolutionized poetry through their distinct yet equally groundbreaking approaches. While their styles appear vastly different, a closer examination reveals a shared commitment to challenging linguistic norms and reshaping the very nature of meaning in our transcendental thoughts within the modernist movement. Gertrude…
The Uncarved Block: Finding Resonance in the Poetry of Emily Dickinson and the Wisdom of Lao Tzu
At first glance, the reclusive American poet Emily Dickinson and the ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu might seem worlds apart. Yet, a closer look reveals a surprising resonance in their observations about the nature of reality, particularly in their shared appreciation for the concept of “P’u” or the uncarved block. In the Tao Te Ching,…
Discovering the Essence of Imagism: An Analysis of “Some Imagist Poets”
By: Maryam Daftari The anthology “Some Imagist Poets” presents a captivating collection of poems that adhere to the principles of Imagism, a movement that emphasizes clarity, precision, and the use of concrete images. By analyzing the poems through the lens of their topics and author backgrounds, we can uncover fascinating insights into the essence of…
The Golden Horizon
We gaze at this moment of shimmering gold Its glow replacing the dark pandemic void Sun’s mighty reflection on the placid sea May it reflect its light on a tranquil thee
Pomegranate
Earthly Pomegranates from paradise The cheeks starting to blush Shy to reveal heavenly fruit to earthlings
Transcendent
To see in the transcendent Is to glimpse heaven The light is always there The question is how to access it
Eternal Flame
Meditation , Rumi, Daoism, and yoga sutras of Patanjali I swim in them I bask in their everlasting sun of light and truth! That inner light — that inner flame of ours — is inextinguishable
Maryam Daftari Photography, Poetry, Commentary 