Consolidation
by Jean Bleakney
Jean Bleakney’s ‘Consolidation’ is a deeply personal poem about the act of rearranging the cowry shells that the speaker and her children gathered in the past.
Sunday
by Gillian Clarke
‘Sunday’ by Gillian Clarke was inspired by the poet’s personal experience of attempting to enjoy a Sunday morning but then being reminded of all the suffering that’s going on in the world.
Morning Swim
by Maxine Kumin
‘Morning Swim’ by Maxine Kumin is a thoughtful lyric poem that’s written in couplets. The poem engages with themes of God and Nature.
The Eternal Goodness
by John Greenleaf Whittier
‘The Eternal Goodness’ by John Greenleaf Whittier is a relatively unknown 19th-century poem that explores religious themes and the various ways that God’s love comes through.
29 April 1989
by Sujata Bhatt
‘29 April 1989’ by Sujata Bhatt is a sweet, little piece about a mother’s sudden found pleasure in nature’s soggy musicality.
A Brave and Startling Truth
by Maya Angelou
‘A Brave and Startling Truth’ by Maya Angelou is a commonly quoted poem about humanity’s future. The poet alludes to the “truth” that humanity will arrive at when “we” realize we are the one true wonder of the world.
A Fairy Tale
by Amy Lowell
A Fairy Tale, as the title of Amy Lowell’s work invokes, is something that nearly everyone can relate to. A
A Hymn to the Evening
by Phillis Wheatley
‘A Hymn to the Evening’ by Phillis Wheatley describes a speaker’s desire to take on the glow of evening so that she may show her love for God.
A Murmur in the Trees— to note
by Emily Dickinson
‘A Murmur in the Trees— to note’ by Emily Dickinson is a poem about nature’s magic. It includes mysterious images of fairy men, glowing lights in the woods, and the murmuring of trees.
A Simile for Her Smile
by Richard Wilbur
‘A Simile for Her Smile,’ written by the American poet Richard Wilbur, is a poem about finding the right simile for a loved one’s smile. It appears in Wilbur’s second collection of poetry, Ceremony, and Other Poems (1950).
A Thank-Offering
by Ella Higginson
‘A Thank-Offering’ by Ella Higginson is addressed to God. It outlines all the beautiful sights and sounds in a speaker’s everyday life and thanks to God for creating them.
A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning
by John Donne
‘A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning’ by John Donne is an incredibly famous poem. In it, Donne uses one of his famous conceits to depict the steadfast nature of his love.
A Woman’s Last Word
by Robert Browning
‘A Woman’s Last Word’ by Robert Browning is made up of a wife’s request to her husband that they stop arguing for the night and enter into a peaceful sleep.
A World Of Light
by Elizabeth Jennings
‘A World Of Light’ explores the idea of dark and light and contravenes the traditional use of these two with
After Love
by Sara Teasdale
‘After Love’ by Sara Teasdale expresses a relationship situation where, despite the “peace” and “safe[ty]” felt within it, the narrator still feels disappointed.
After the Winter
by Claude McKay
‘After the Winter’ by Claude McKay is a thoughtful and beautiful poem. Its speaker looks towards the future and considers the ideal life he’ll live with his partner.
Afterglow
by Helen Lowrie Marshall
‘Afterglow’ by Helen Lowrie Marshall is a popular funeral poem. It describes a speaker’s hope that they’re remembered fondly and warmly.
An August Midnight
by Thomas Hardy
‘An August Midnight’ was written in 1899 by ‘Thomas Hardy’, published in 1901. The main theme in this poem is the meaning and purpose in life.
An awful Tempest mashed the air
by Emily Dickinson
‘An awful Tempest mashed the air’ by Emily Dickinson personifies a storm. The speaker follows it from its beginning to end and depicts how nature is influenced.
Animal Tranquility and Decay
by William Wordsworth
This fascinating poem, ‘Animal Tranquility and Decay,’ by William Wordsworth depicts an old man who walks in peace and tranquility. He seems to walk aloof from the cares and concerns of this world.
Anne Hathaway
by Carol Ann Duffy
‘Anne Hathaway’ by Carol Ann Duffy is told from the perceptive of Shakespeare’s wife who discusses their enduring love through the symbol of a bed.
Armistice
by Sophie Jewett
‘Armistice’ by Sophie Jewett describes a brief moment of magic, contemplation, and peace that two travellers experience as they journey across the ocean.
Beautiful Old Age
by D.H. Lawrence
Beautiful Old Age is a poem in which Lawrence imagines a world in which old age is truly revered and hoped for, & describes what that world would feel like.
Below the Green Corrie
by Norman MacCaig
‘Below the Green Corrie’ is dated roughly 1969, and can be found in the posthumously published collection of poetry, Collected
Blowin’ in the Wind
by Bob Dylan
What’s actually blowin’ in the wind? What’s already there yet deliberately ignored? The answer, my friend, is there in the memorable lyrics of Bob Dylan’s best-loved song ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’.
Children
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Across the wide spectrum of work published by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his lifetime, children were a consistent topic of
Daybreak
by Jack London
‘Daybreak’ by Jack London describes an interaction between a speaker and the woman he loves at the dawning of an especially beautiful day.
Dirge Over a Nameless Grave
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A title such as Dirge Over a Nameless Grave already says a lot about Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s work. A lot
Don’t Despise Me
by Akka Mahadevi
‘Don’t Despise Me’ by Akka Mahadevi is a plea to the listener. It showcases the poet’s devotion and adherence to her faith.
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.