A Dream Girl by Carl Sandburg
by Carl Sandburg
‘A Dream Girl’ by Carl Sandburg is a romantic poem that expresses the author’s hope that he will one day find the woman of his dreams.
I am very bothered by Simon Armitage
by Simon Armitage
In ‘I am very bothered’, the Speaker takes on the role of confessor, as he shares a shameful event from his past and offers it up to the Reader to make up their minds about the misdemeanor.
I Looked Up from My Writing by Thomas Hardy
by Thomas Hardy
‘I Looked Up from My Writing’ by Thomas Hardy is a existentially contemplative piece in which a writer is confronted with his own ignorance and irresponsibility.
Living in Sin by Adrienne Rich
by Adrienne Rich
‘Living in Sin’ by Adrienne Rich is a deeply evocative poem. In it, the poet depicts a woman’s exceptions and contrasts them with reality.
Love and Friendship by Emily Brontë
by Emily Brontë
‘Love and Friendship’, by Emily Brontë, is a three-stanza poem that functions as a compare/contrast piece between “love and friendship.”
Love is… by Adrian Henri
by Adrian Henri
‘Love is…’ by Adrian Henri provides readers with various ways to consider love and how it tints even the smallest objects and experiences with more meaning.
My Box by Gillian Clarke
by Gillian Clarke
‘My Box’, by Gillian Clarke, explores the themes of relationships, strength, love and eternity in this poem with the metaphor of the box.
My Fancy by Lewis Carroll
by Lewis Carroll
‘My Fancy’ by Lewis Carroll is a poem where confusion and exaggeration are offered to show a distinct variation between expectation and reality.
My Heart Leaps Up by William Wordsworth
by William Wordsworth
On the surface, William Wordsworth’s ‘My Heart Leaps Up’ is about the simple beauty of a rainbow. Looking at it more closely, the poet is saying people should maintain their sense of childlike wonder well into adulthood and old age.
Piteous My Rhyme by Christina Rossetti
by Christina Rossetti
‘Piteous My Rhyme’ contains a speaker’s musings on the nature of love and the different forms, all immortal, that it can take.
Sonnet 1 by William Shakespeare
by William Shakespeare
Shakespeare’s first sonnet, ‘From fairest creatures we desire increase,’ serves to introduce many of the themes which echo through the rest of the collection.
Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare
by William Shakespeare
Read Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18, ‘Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?,’ with a summary and complete analysis of the poem.
Sonnet 54 by Edmund Spenser
by Edmund Spenser
‘Sonnet 54’ is part of Spenser’s Amoretti and is a Spenserian sonnet, formed by three interlocked quatrains and a couplet.
Sonnet 8 by Louise Labé
by Louise Labé
The French poet Louise Labé, who wrote Sonnet 8, lived as a middle-class citizen in 16th century France. In this poem, she used the Petrarchan form to explain the positive and negative effects of love.
The Indian Serenade by Percy Bysshe Shelley
by Percy Bysshe Shelley
‘The Indian Serenade’ by Percy Bysshe Shelley is a dreamlike, lyrical love poem told from the perspective of a desperate lover.
The Triple Fool by John Donne
by John Donne
In ‘The Triple Fool’, Donne deals with unrequited love. Heartbroken, he writes poetry to alleviate the pain.
To My Dear and Loving Husband by Anne Bradstreet
by Anne Bradstreet
‘To My Dear and Loving Husband’ by Anne Bradstreet is like a breath of fresh air. Her deep and genuine love for her husband is clear and evident in this poem.