Sometimes friends ask me what drew me to poetry, what first compelled me to write poems? And my answer is two-fold: jump rope tunes and nursery rhymes. These oral forms of poetry fostered my love of ...

Nursery rhymes from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries are sung to children, yes, but often contain thematic elements that are fairly dark—beheadings, bridge collapses, and more. In this game, host ...