Ricardo Alberto Maldonado on his selections: What could we say to them, those we love, those we’ve lost, our beloveds, now eight months into a pandemic? What kind of vow could make ourselves legible to them and therefore to ourselves? It's been 229 days since I left the Upper East Side and opened shop in Brooklyn, where I spend most of my days at work. These three poems, I feel, make me believe that we can find a way to make the world bearable for each other—the strength and power we desperately need comes from new contract for life and for each other.

The Carrying by Ada Limón at Bookshop.org

The Pink Box by Yesenia Montilla at Bookshop.org

Ceremonies by Essex Hemphill at Thriftbooks.com

Music: "Shift of Currents" by Blue Dot Sessions // CC BY-NC 2.0