Ask a question. A real poet answers.

On the table

• The crystal ball

  Tell the crystal ball what weighs on you and stir the mist. It answers with a line from a real poem and a card from the Poemoscope deck.

  Ask the oracle

How to ask

Ask one clear question, the one that matters to you now. “Should I take the new job?” finds an answer more easily than “Tell me about my life.” Love, work, a choice in front of you, a worry, the days ahead: the ball listens to all of them, one at a time.

Hold the question in mind while you stir the mist. Like every oracle, the ball speaks in images. Read the line twice, and notice the first thought it brings. That thought is often the answer.

The tradition

Oracles have spoken in verse for thousands of years. At Delphi the god’s answers came as poems. Romans opened Virgil at random and took the first line their eyes fell on as counsel. In Iran people still open Hafez on the longest night of the year to ask what it will bring. In Chinese temples a cup of bamboo sticks is shaken until one falls, and the poem it names holds the answer.

Asking a book at random has a name, bibliomancy. Poemoscope keeps that old trust in a poet’s line. Ask, and listen to what it says to you.

Real poets

Every answer here was written by a person, a poet who once found these words for their own life. Under each answer stand the poet’s name and the poem, so you can read the line where it was written.

FAQ

Is it free?

Yes. Every reading is free.

Is this tarot?

No. Poemoscope has its own deck of poetry cards, and its answers are lines of poems.

Do I need an account?

No. Just ask. The lines you keep stay on your device.

Can I read the whole poem?

Yes. Every answer opens its poem, by its poet.

Is my question private?

We never publish your question or ask for your name. The Privacy Policy has the details.