Ever been trapped in an elevator?

Of course you haven't. That's the stuff of sitcoms and movie thrillers, not real life. Elevators, in reality, are dull boxes that move up and down at our command.

Until poet Ali Blythe thought about it, that is.

This Poetry Friday, delve into the poetic mystery that is the elevator with Ali Blythe and his lyrical "Button" (from Twoism).

September? Already?

It's true. You've run as fast as you could, but time is always quicker, and the ninth month has finally caught up to you and commanded you to get back to work.

So, this Poetry Friday, we bid a fond adieu to August and look into the belly of the beast that is September.

And what better way to look forward than to look back? At least, that's the sense we get from Stewart Coles' haunting, enigmatic, elegiac "What September Swallows" (from Questions in Bed).

Don't ask us why — you probably wouldn't like the answer anyway — but this Poetry Friday, we're fascinated by the lyric poems of subterranean lurkers. We honestly didn't think we'd unearth any, but what do you know? Goose Lane publishes a vast amount of really interesting work.

Granted, today's poem is not exactly a poem of the CHUDs (Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers, look it up), but rather an ode to their unique perspective on life and society. Still, though... mole people!

So today, this Poetry Friday, dim the lights and entertain yourself with Peter Norman's weird and wonderful "The Mole Men of Zug Break Into Song" (from the gun that starts the race).

Summertime! Outdoor dining! Juicy burgers! Vegan hot dogs! Ketchup and mustard everywhere!

Let's face it, we're in the middle of another heat wave, so let us embrace it with some eating of foods in the outdoors.

So, this Poetry Friday, a'cooking we will go with Peter Richardson's "Cloud Puffs above a Ridge-top Barbecue Grill" (from Bit Parts for Fools).

And yes, we've got beer for everyone this time. 

Maybe it's the summer heat. Maybe it's because of the recent nomination of Jan Wong's Apron Strings for the 2018 Taste Canada Awards. Maybe it's because it's nearly dinnertime when this post is being prepared, and we're very hungry.

Whatever it is, we've got food on the brain. We cannot think of anything else.

Except poetry! Because it's Poetry Friday!

So let's combine our love of poetry with our need of sustenance with Patrick Warner's tasty, mouth-watering "The Chocolate Chip Pancake is Innocent" (from Perfection).