My Grandmother’s Houses
by Jackie Kay
‘My Grandmother’s Houses’ by Jackie Kay is a thoughtful recollection of youth and a young speaker’s relationship with her eccentric grandmother, who is forced to move homes.
The Storm-Wind
by William Barnes
‘The Storm-Wind’ by William Barnes contrasts peace and danger with images of home and a terrifying storm. The poem emphasizes how much easier it is to appreciate the safety of home when the conditions outside are so inhospitable.
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.
There’s No Power Like Home
by Amanda Gorman
‘There’s No Power Like Home’ by Amanda Gorman is a beautiful testament to the difficulties associated with COVID-19 restrictions.
The House by the Side of the Road
by Sam Walter Foss
‘The House by the Side of the Road’ by Sam Walter Foss was a once-popular American poem about caring for and helping other people.
Home
by Edgar Guest
‘Home’ by Edgar Guest is a moving and highly relatable poem in which the poet describes the necessity of turning a house into a home and how that process plays out.
At First
by Amanda Gorman
‘At First’ by Amanda Gorman is a poem about language in the COVID-19 pandemic. The poem uses text messages to speak about how the pandemic changed everyone.
At Home
by Christina Rossetti
‘At Home’ describes the plight of a ghost who is kept separate from happiness, friends, and her no longer possible future.
Blaen Cwrt
by Gillian Clarke
‘Blaen Cwrt,’ a poem by Welsh poet Gillian Clarke depicts the pleasant dwelling of the speaker in rural Ceredigion, West Wales.
Cityscape
by Eavan Boland
‘Cityscape’ by Eavan Boland is a complex, allusion-filled poem that describes Dublin and the Blackrock Baths, and presents contrasting images of past and present.
Coming Home
by Owen Sheers
‘Coming Home’ by Owen Sheers is a thoughtful poem that describes the transitory nature of life. The poet explores aging, family, and the impact of change.
Constancy by Joseph Brodsky
by Joseph Brodsky
‘Constancy’ by Joseph Brodsky describes what it means to change over time, specially when moving from one’s own home to another wholly unknown environment.
Doing it Wrong
by Carol Parsons
‘Doing it Wrong’ by Carol Parsons describes the relationship between a brother and sister and the building frustrations between the two.
Escape
by Elinor Wylie
‘Escape’ by Elinor Wylie describes how the narrator will leave the lackluster world behind her and escape to a house of her own she has yet to build.
Folk poet, Ysinno
by Lakdasa Wikramasingha
‘Folk poet, Ysinno’ by Lakdasa Wikramasingha describes the plight of the folk poet “Ysinno” and his efforts to roof his newly built bamboo hut.
Gymnopédies No. 1
by Adrian Matejka
‘Gymnopédies No. 1’ by Adrian Matejka is a comforting poem that depicts a snowy landscape and explores the peace one can find in it alongside loved ones.
Home Burial
by Robert Frost
‘Home Burial’ by Robert Frost is an incredibly sad poem. Frost depicts a mother grieving for her deceased son and her broader conflicts with her husband.
Home
by Warsan Shire
The lines “no one leaves home unless/ home is the mouth of a shark” that made us rethink the global refugee crisis, appear in Somali-British poet Warsan Shire’s poem ‘Home.’ This poem vividly depicts the lived experiences of the refugees both inside and outside of their countries.
Homecoming
by Lenrie Peters
‘Homecoming’ by Lenrie Peters is a poem about someone returning home after a long time away. This person is moved by the immense changes that their home has undergone during this period.
Homecoming: Anse La Raye
by Derek Walcott
‘Homecoming: Anse La Raye’ by Derek Walcott is a complex and interesting poem about when a homecoming doesn’t feel like coming home. It is rich with allusions and connections to Walcott’s real-life experience.