Helen Hunt Jackson was an American poet and activist. She worked to improve conditions for Native Americans living in the United States. Her works, Ramona and A Century of Dishonor were socially motivated. The latter was the first book she published under her name. In it, she condemned “Indian” policies. Read more about Helen Hunt Jackson.
‘Dreams’ by Helen Hunt Jackson exists on the boundary between dream and nightmare as it explores the way in which memories of the past return to us in our sleep no matter how hard we try to forget them.
Mysterious shapes, with wands of joy and pain, Which seize us unaware in helpless sleep, And lead us to the houses where we keep Our secrets hid, well barred by every chain
‘Milkweed’ by Helen Hunt Jackson is a sonnet concerning the beauty of the milkweed plant. Here the poet upholds the importance of humbleness and simplicity.
O patient creature with a peasant face,
Burnt by the summer sun, begrimed with stains,
And standing humbly in the dingy lanes!
There seems a mystery in thy work and place,
‘Poppies on the Wheat’ by Helen Hunt Jackson describes the pleasure in the sight of a wheat field in Italy which is covered in lines of poppies.