The Confessional
by Robert Browning
‘The Confessional’ by Robert Browning is a dramatic monologue following a woman who is betrayed for her blind faith.
Harlem (A Dream Deferred)
by Langston Hughes
‘Harlem (A Dream Deferred)’ by Langston Hughes is a powerful poem. The poet wrote it in response to what he felt as a black man navigating a career and personal life in a white-dominated world.
Because I could not stop for Death
by Emily Dickinson
‘Because I could not stop for death,’ Dickinson’s best-known poem, is a depiction of one speaker’s journey into the afterlife with personified “Death” leading the way.
In Heaven
by Stephen Crane
‘In Heaven’ by Stephen Crane offers a parable-like anecdote that contrasts humility with self-righteous pride. It also challenges religion and those the poet’s speaker deemed hypocritical.
Life Sculpture
by George Washington Doane
‘Life Sculpture’ by George Washington Doane is a poem heavily symbolic poem about realizing one’s true potential and purpose in life.
‘Twas the old — road — through pain—
by Emily Dickinson
‘Twas the old — road — through pain—’ by Emily Dickinson describes a woman’s path from life to death and her entrance into Heaven.
The Fool’s Prayer
by Edward Rowland Sill
‘The Fool’s Prayer’ by Edward Rowland Sill is a religious poem that reminds readers, and all the characters in the poem, what it takes to live a good, morally righteous life.
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.
[Buffalo Bill ‘s]
by E.E. Cummings
E. Cummings’ free-verse poem ‘[Buffalo Bill ’s]’ taps on the popular theme of the inevitability of death. It includes a civil, indifferent depiction of death.
A Light Exists in Spring
by Emily Dickinson
‘A light exists in spring’ is about the light in spring that illuminates its surroundings. Though this poem is about nature, it has a deep religious connotation that science cannot explain.
a man who had fallen among thieves
by E.E. Cummings
E. E. Cummings’ ‘a man who had fallen among thieves’ is a modern retelling of the parable of the Good Samaritan who helped a robbed man lying unconscious on the road. In this poem, the speaker helps one such person who faced a similar accident.
A Visit from St. Nicholas
by Clement Clarke Moore
‘A Visit from St. Nicholas’ or ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas describes the encounter of a speaker with St. Nicholas on Christmas Eve.
All Things Bright and Beautiful
by Cecil Frances Alexander
‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’ by Cecil Frances Alexander describes how God is responsible for creating all things, positive and negative, big and small, in the world.
An American Sunrise
by Joy Harjo
‘An American Sunrise’ by Joy Harjo is a powerful poem about Native American culture written by the current Poet Laureate of the United States. The poem explores the struggles of the poet’s community as well as the successes and celebrations.
Anorexic
by Eavan Boland
‘Anorexic’ by Eavan Boland conveys the mindset of a woman determined to destroy her physical body through starvation and filled with hatred for her sinful past, as according to the Biblical story of Adam and Eve.
Boston Hymn
by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Emerson composed ‘Boston Hymn’ in late 1862, just before the emancipation proclamation. Through this poem, Emerson warns Americans of their wrongs and gives them a chance to repent of all crimes against freedom.
Christ of Everywhere
by Henry van Dyke
‘Christ of Everywhere’ by Henry Van Dyke is a poem about the presence of Christ in all living things. Throughout this piece, Van Dyke uses simple and relatable language that allows all readers to connect with his words.
Christmas Comes to Moccasin Flat
by James Welch
‘Christmas Comes to Moccasin Flat’ was written during the Native American Renaissance. This poem features the activities of a Native American community during Christmas.
Crow Sickened
by Ted Hughes
‘Crow Sickened’ is a brilliant example of Hughes’ playful style, in which Crow attempts to work out the cause of his misery.
Departed To The Judgment
by Emily Dickinson
‘Departed To The Judgment’ by Emily Dickinson discusses death and the afterlife. The speaker explores their beliefs about both and how they contrast with others’.
Disappointed
by Paul Laurence Dunbar
‘Disappointed’ by Paul Laurence Dunbar is an inspirational poem in which Dunbar depicts an old man working hard in the last years of his life and losing everything he strove for.
Done is a Battell on the Dragon Blak
by William Dunbar
‘Done is a Battell on the Dragon Blak’ by William Dunbar is a medieval Easter poem of Scottish roots. It tells of Christ’s victory over Satan by his crucifixion, death, and resurrection.
Holy Sonnet II
by John Donne
‘Holy Sonnet II’ by John Donne is the second in a series of religious sonnets that Donne is well-known for. This poem is directed to God and explores a speaker’s concerns about their fate.
Holy Sonnet IX
by John Donne
‘Holy Sonnet IX’ by John Donne, also known by its first line ‘If poisonous minerals, and if that tree’ is one of several “Holy Sonnets” the poet composed during his lifetime. This particular poem focuses on a dispute between the speaker and God.