How to Like it by Stephen Dobyns
‘How to Like It’ by Stephen Dobyns was written in order to explore a man’s struggle to accept change as he ages. The poem uses humor and very relatable emotions in order to appeal to readers.
Night Journey by Theodore Roethke
‘Night Journey’ by Theodore Roethke is a thoughtful, fairly simple poem about the American countryside. He spends the lines admiring the landscapes one can see by train at night.
Tavern by Edna St. Vincent Millay
‘Tavern’ by Edna St. Vincent Millay is a beautiful, short poem that speaks to one person’s desire to take care of others.
Poem in October by Dylan Thomas
‘Poem in October’ tells of a speaker’s journey out of autumn and up a hill to reclaim childhood joy, the summer season and his spirituality.
Redemption by George Herbert
‘Redemption’ by George Herbert speaks on one man’s long journey to find God amongst the secular, and therefore the ability to start a new life.
The Furthest Distances I’ve Travelled by Leontia Flynn
‘The Furthest Distances I’ve Travelled’ by Leontia Flynn describes the way the travel can impact the traveller and all those they meet.
I now had only to retrace by Charlotte Brontë
‘I now had only to retrace’ by Charlotte Brontë describes a speaker’s harrowing journey through a rapidly darkening landscape.
The Widening Sky by Edward Hirsch
‘The Widening Sky’ by Edward Hirsch describes a speaker’s emotionally revelatory journey into a darkening seaside landscape.
I Remember, I Remember by Philip Larkin
‘I Remember, I Remember’ by Philip Larkin contains a speaker’s thoughts about his home. He expresses what he thinks is an idealized childhood and how it doesn’t match up to it.
Nutting by William Wordsworth
‘Nutting’ by William Wordsworth describes a speaker’s boyhood journey into the woods and the resulting pleasure and rage he experiences.
Journey by Edna St. Vincent Millay
Journey’ by Edna St. Vincent Millay describes a speaker’s desire to live a life experienced on an open path, and filled with natural wonder.
Journey of the Magi by T.S. Eliot
Journey of the Magi’ by T.S. Eliot describes the terrible conditions through which the Magi traversed to meet the Christ child.
Passers-by by Carl Sandburg
‘Passers-by’ by Carl Sandburg describes the emotions interpreted and the sights seen by speaker after a walk through the streets of a city.
Discovery by Florence Ripley Mastin
‘Discovery’ by Florence Ripley Mastin describes a walk through the woods during which a speaker experiences an important change.
Watching for Dolphins by David Constantine
‘Watching for Dolphins’ by David Constantine describes the journey of life, and the hope among its passengers that they will spot dolphins.
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.
Song for Lonely Roads by Sherwood Anderson
‘Song for Lonely Roads’ by Sherwood Anderson describes the value of a stretch of farmland and a divine deal struck in the name of hard work.
Passage to India by Walt Whitman
‘Passage to India’ by Walt Whitman describes an imaginary journey that a speaker wants to take into fabled India.
The Witch by Mary Elizabeth Coleridge
‘The Witch’ poem tells a short story about the life of the speaker, the witch, and the destruction she wrought on one someone who tried to help her.
Stabat Mater by Sam Hunt
‘Stabat Mater’ by Sam Hunt is commentary on the complexities of time that can take a person from weak and timid, to strong and capable, and back to weak and timid.
Journey by Gillian Clarke
‘Journey’ by Gillian Clarke is a poem of three stanzas that focuses on a road trip and all the things that are witnessed by the couple in the car.
The Five Students by Thomas Hardy
In ‘The Five Students’ The Speaker employs the metaphor of changing seasons to indicate the inexorable passage of time as five people journey through life.
Midnight on the Great Western by Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy’s ‘Midnight on the Great Western’ is a powerful piece of poetry that examines the story of a young boy, traveling forward to an unknown destination from an unknown place.