A Bird, came down the Walk
by Emily Dickinson
‘A Bird, came down the Walk’ by Emily Dickinson is a beautiful nature poem. It focuses on the actions of a bird going about its everyday life.
The Captive Dove
by Anne Brontë
‘The Captive Dove’ by Anne Brontë is a powerful example of her verse that reminds readers that all living things desire freedom.
To a Skylark
by Percy Bysshe Shelley
‘To a Skylark’ by Percy Bysshe Shelley is an ode. It celebrates the beauty of nature and the bliss of a skylark’s song.
The Miracle of Morning
by Amanda Gorman
‘The Miracle of Morning’ by Amanda Gorman is a direct message of hope in the face of suffering. Specifically, Gorman uses this poem to discuss the coronavirus pandemic and its outcome.
America For Me
by Henry van Dyke
‘America For Me’ by Henry Van Dyke is a passionate, patriotic poem about America. It celebrates how different the United States is from Europe.
Imagining Their Own Hymns
by Brigit Pegeen Kelly
‘Imagining Their Own Hymns’ by Brigit Pegeen Kelly is a memorable poem that speaks about the difference between how something appears and its reality.
Christmas Everywhere
by Phillips Brooks
‘Christmas Everywhere’ by Phillips Brooks is an uplifting Christmas and religious poem about the power of the season. The poet implies that if people wanted to, they could carry the same feeling of faithfulness throughout the whole year.
A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever (from Endymion)
by John Keats
‘A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever’ is famous as the first book in John Keats’ epic, ‘Endymion.’ It is based on the tale of Endymion, whose beauty was of such joy to Selene that it immortalized him for the rest of his days.
At Grass
by Philip Larkin
‘At Grass’ by Philip Larkin is a poem about fame and happiness. It focuses on racehorses and how they found new homes away from their previous lives.
Australia 1970
by Judith Wright
‘Australia 1970’ by Judith Wright speaks on the changing landscape of Australia in the 1970s. It promotes a version of Australia that is fierce, wild, and dangerous just like the animals that have always lived within its boundaries.
Barter by Sara Teasdale
by Sara Teasdale
‘Barter’ by Sara Teasdale describes the many lovely and splendid sights, sounds and experiences life has to sell to someone willing to invest in them.
Blue-Butterfly Day
by Robert Frost
‘Blue-Butterfly Day’ by Robert Frost beautifully describes the movements of a flock of butterflies. He uses them as a way of describing the cycle of life and death.
Coming
by Philip Larkin
‘Coming’ by Philip Larkin is about spring and how emotional its arrival can be. The peace, joy, and promise of spring rub off on Larkin’s speaker in a wonderful way.
Drifting Flowers of the Sea
by Sadakichi Hartmann
‘Drifting Flowers of the Sea’ by Sadakichi Hartmann describes the presence of white flowers and their relation to perseverance and unspoken dreams.
Edgar Allan Poe
by Timothy Thomas Fortune
‘Edgar Allan Poe’ by Timothy Thomas Fortune contains a speaker’s praise for the works and life of the poet and short story writer Edgar Allan Poe.
For Nanabhai Bhatt
by Sujata Bhatt
‘For Nanabhai Bhatt’ is about the poet Sujata Bhatt’s grandfather, Nanabhai Bhatt, who was an educationist and activist active during the Indian independence movement.
For Sidney Bechet
by Philip Larkin
‘For Sidney Bechet’ is a poetic tribute to Sidney Bechet, one of the early jazz maestros that poet Philip Larkin admired the most.
Forties Flick
by John Ashbery
Published in John Ashbery’s award-winning poetry collection, Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror (1975), the poem ‘Forties Flick’ is a postmodern, nostalgic lyric on film noir of the “classic period.” This piece vividly portrays a trademark scene of Hollywood crime dramas of the 1940s.
Fountain
by Elizabeth Jennings
Elizabeth Jennings herself considered ‘Fountain’ as one of her favorite poems. This piece is about the controlled energy of a fountain.
Full Moon and Little Frieda
by Ted Hughes
In ‘Full Moon and Little Frieda,’ Ted Hughes describes his daughter’s observations of the world around her, reflecting on nature and family.
How the old Mountains drip with Sunset
by Emily Dickinson
‘How the old Mountains drip with Sunset’ by Emily Dickinson celebrates the beauty of the natural world. She focuses specifically on a sunset and how impossible it is to capture it in words or paint.
I Hear America Singing
by Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman’s poetic prose, ‘I hear America Singing’, free-flows with vibrancy, energy, and sheer respect for proletariat members of America.
I wish I could remember that first day
by Christina Rossetti
‘I wish I could remember that first day’ by Christina Rossetti is also known as ‘First Day.’ It focuses on the speaker’s regret that she can’t remember more about her first love.
In the Reading-Room of the British Museum
by Louise Imogen Guiney
‘In the Reading-Room of the British Museum’ describes the strength that humankind is able to absorb from the reading of historical books.
Inexorable Deities
by Edgar Lee Masters
‘Inexorable Deities’ is made up of one speaker’s wish to be given the power to look on the beauty of the world without shying away.
Into My Own
by Robert Frost
Robert Frost’s ‘Into My Own’ explores the concepts of maturity and growing up. The poet delves into the exploration of childhood and self.
Lines Written in Early Spring
by William Wordsworth
‘Lines Written in Early Spring’ by William Wordsworth is a beautiful landscape poem that is largely concerned with nature.
Love Among the Ruins
by Robert Browning
‘Love Among the Ruins’ by Robert Browning is a Victorian, dramatic poem that uses the metaphor of a destroyed city to speak on love and nature.