Poetry isn't as scary as you think. These 14 collections of poems tackle everything from grief and race to family and love.

In the poem “Painted Tongue,” Byas writes: “We twist and turn in the mirror,/ my mother and I becoming each other,/ her bruises and scars passed down,/ family heirlooms that will take/ me ...

Frederick Seidel’s 19th book, “So What,” is filled with politics, disease, luxury and provocation. At almost 90, he’s one of our best contemporary poets.