From the Garden
by Anne Sexton
‘From the Garden’ by Anne Sexton is a peaceful poem in which the speaker describes how beneficial it is to spend time in nature.
Go, Lovely Rose
by Edmund Waller
‘Go, Lovely Rose’ by Edmund Waller is addressed to a sweet and wonderours rose being sent to a speaker’s object of affection.
Holy Thursday (Songs of Innocence)
by William Blake
William Blake’s poem, ‘Holy Thursday,’ was first published in 1789. It was included in a poetry collection called ‘Songs of Innocence’.
‘Twas on a holy Thursday, their innocent faces clean,
The children walking two and two in red and blue and green:
Grey-headed beadles walked before, with wands as white as snow,
Till into the high dome of Paul’s they like Thames waters flow.
I am the Reaper
by William Ernest Henley
‘I am the Reaper’ is a poem describing the intertwined nature of life and death and how one cannot exist without the other to balance it.
I dreaded that first Robin
by Emily Dickinson
’I dreaded that first Robin’ by Emily Dickinson is a surprising poem about nature. The speaker confesses to an unusual opinion about the season throughout the lines.
I dreaded that first Robin, so,
But He is mastered, now,
I'm accustomed to Him grown,
He hurts a little, though—
I Shall Not Pass This Way Again
by Eva Rose York
‘I Shall Not Pass This Way Again’ by Eva Rose York is made up of a speaker’s goodbye to a place she loves and a declaration of her future intentions.
In Flanders Fields
by John McCrae
‘In Flanders Fields’ by John McCrae is a well-known, and much revered, poem concerning the many lived lost in the Flanders area of Belgium during World War I.
In the moonlight
by Yosa Buson
‘In pale moonlight’ by Yosa Buson is a Japanese haiku that depicts a night scene filled with the scent of wisteria.
Iris
by David St. John
‘Iris’, a heart-touching poem about death and love, appears in the American poet David St. John’s collection Study For The World’s Body. This poem is dedicated to the poet’s grandmother Vivian St. John.
Iris
by Sujata Bhatt
‘Iris’ by Sujata Bhatt is a narrative poem with lyric qualities. It depicts an artist’s wait for the sun to come out and bring out the colors in a single iris.
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.
I heard a thousand blended notes,
While in a grove I sate reclined,
In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts
Bring sad thoughts to the mind.
May-Flower
by Emily Dickinson
‘May-Flower’ is a beautiful short poem in which Dickinson uses her skill with imagery to depict a forest scene, a May flower, and its connection to the human soul.
Pink, small, and punctual,
Aromatic, low,
Covert in April,
Candid in May,
Me Thinks This Heart Should Rest Awhile
by Emily Brontë
Every once in awhile, an artist will use their talent to focus their energies on the explanation behind a single
My Pretty Rose Tree
by William Blake
‘My Pretty Rose Tree’ by William Blake is a poem that represents the harshness that “jealousy” can bring to a relationship.
A flower was offered to me,
Such a flower as May never bore;
But I said, 'I've a pretty rose tree,'
And I passed the sweet flower o'er.
Nightstand with Roses
by Jody Zorgdrager
‘Nightstand with Roses’ by Jody Zorgdrager is a seven-stanza work that reveals one person’s side of a relationship breakup. Here’s a complete analysis.
Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal
by Alfred Lord Tennyson
‘Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal’ is taken from the longer narrative poem, ‘The Princess’. The poem was read out loud
Ode on the Spring
by Thomas Gray
‘Ode on the Spring’ belongs to the first period of Gray’s poetic career. It was written in 1742 and to
Of Mothers, among other things
by A. K. Ramanujan
‘Of Mothers, among other things’ by A.K. Ramanujan uses nontraditional images to depict and define the speaker’s mother as someone strong, determined, and eagle-like.
On a Drop of Dew
by Andrew Marvell
In ‘On a Drop of Dew’ by Andrew Marvell, the central idea is that the human soul comes into this
Patterns
by Amy Lowell
‘Patterns’ by Amy Lowell is an unforgettable poem about a woman’s loss during World War I. It describes the “patterns” of a speaker’s life and how, with the knowledge that her fiancé has died in the War, she’s doing to be confined to a far more sorrowful one.
Peonies by Mary Oliver
by Mary Oliver
‘Peonies’ by Mary Oliver uses imagery to depict peonies. She also explores the importance of relishing in humanity’s connection to the natural world.
Petals
by Amy Lowell
When a poem is titled something like “Petals,” as is the case with Lowell’s work, it is invoking a common
Pomegranates (translated by Graeme Wilson)
by Sin Hum
The poem, Pomegranates, is written in sijo (the word is both singular and plural), a Korean poetic form that had
Poppies in October
by Sylvia Plath
‘Poppies in October’ by Sylvia Plath depicts an interesting contrast between life and death. It takes a melancholy tone and can be interpreted in different ways.
Even the sun-clouds this morning cannot manage such skirts.
Nor the woman in the ambulance
Whose red heart blooms through her coat so astoundingly —
Poppies on Ludlow Castle
by Willa Cather
‘Poppies on Ludlow Castle’ by Willa Cather describes the nature of Ludlow Castle in Shropshire, England and the spectres of the past it holds.
Prairie Spring
by Willa Cather
‘Prairie Spring’ by Willa Cather is a list poem which describes what it is like to experience one’s youth on the vibrant and “sombre” prairies.
Punctuality
by Lewis Carroll
‘Punctuality’ by Lewis Carroll expresses the importance of being “punctual” and showing respect enough for endeavors to treat them with promptness.
Quai de la Tournelle
by John Dos Passos
‘Quai de la Tournelle’ by John Dos Passos is a poem about a lost love and how the sights and sounds of the Seine River in Paris bring that love to mind.
Snow
by Louis MacNeice
‘Snow’ by Louis MacNeice looks like a straightforward poem about a winter scene, but the truth is much more complex.
Solar
by Philip Larkin
‘Solar’ by Philip Larkin is an unlikely Larkin poem that depicts the sun. The poet uses lyrical language to describe the sun through a series of metaphors and similes.
Suspended lion face
Spilling at the centre
Of an unfurnished sky
