Quid Pro Quo by Paul Mariani
‘Quid Pro Quo’ by Paul Mariani is a confessional poem that narrates a speaker’s anger and frustration at God subsequent to his wife’s second miscarriage.
Flower On the Road by Chitra Padmanabhan
‘Flower On the Road’ by Chitra Padmanabhan is a sweet and simple children’s poem that emphasizes everyone’s ability to bring joy to the world, no matter their size.
Spring by Edna St. Vincent Millay
‘Spring’ by Edna St. Vincent Millay is an interesting poem that takes an original view on spring. It criticizes the season and all it brings with it.
To John Keats, Poet, at Spring Time by Countee Cullen
‘To John Keats, Poet, at Spring Time’ by Countee Cullen is a poem about spring and poetry. It is addressed to John Keats and spends its lines praising spring and the deceased poet’s influence.
Notice by Robert Lowell
A thought-provoking piece from Robert Lowell’s incredible array of poetry, ‘Notice’ harks for capturing each and every moment of our lives, be it repeated or unbearable. We have to draw inspiration from tiny details in our lives.
When green buds hang in the elm by A. E. Housman
A. E. Housman’s poem ‘When green buds hang in the elm’ is about a speaker’s attachment to nature and how it reminds him of his own mortality. It appears in the poetry collection Last Poems (1922).
Always Marry an April Girl by Ogden Nash
‘Always Marry an April Girl’ by Ogden Nash is an interesting, short poem about a relationship. The speaker is celebrating his “April girl” and all her contrasting character traits.
To Winter by Claude McKay
‘To Winter’ by Claude McKay is a love letter to the cold winter months. The narrator of the poem laments the arrival of spring, as it means the winter has ended.
Virtue by George Herbert
‘Virtue’ is one of George Herbert’s spiritual poems stressing the need of keeping a virtuous soul. Herbert creates a contrast between earthly things and a virtuous soul to make his point.
Sonnet 102 by William Shakespeare
Read Shakespeare’s Sonnet 102, ‘My love is strengthen’d, though more weak in seeming,’ with a summary and complete analysis of the poem.
To My Mistress Sitting by a River’s Side by Thomas Carew
‘To My Mistress Sitting by a River’s Side by Thomas Carew compares the relationship between two lovers to the actions of a stream, river, and eddy.
The Question by Percy Bysshe Shelley
‘The Question’ by Percy Bysshe Shelley tells of a dream in which a speaker encounters a vast forest of pristine, blooming flowers.
Dialogue of Friendship Multiply’d by Katherine Philips
‘Dialogue of Friendship Multiply’d’ by Katherine Philips contains the dialogue between two women, one of whom wishes to begin a friendship with the other.
Landscape with the Fall of Icarus by William Carlos Williams
‘Landscape with the Fall of Icarus’ by William Carlos Williams gives the reader a dark description of a painting by Pieter Brueghel.
The Canonization by John Donne
‘The Canonization’ by John Donne describes a transcendent love that eventually evolves into the idealized baseline for all other aspiring lovers.
somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond by E.E. Cummings
‘somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond ‘ describes the control a fragile and gentle lover has over a speaker’s state of mind.
To Earthward by Robert Frost
‘To Earthward’ by Robert Frost contemplates the speaker’s connection to the earth. As he’s aged, he’s sought out more painful experiences in order to feel the same as he did in his youth.
Old Song by Edward FitzGerald
‘Old Song’ by Edward FitzGerald describes a speaker depression over the long weeks of winter, and eventual joy over the coming spring.
Evening by Friedrich Schiller
‘Evening’ by Friedrich Schiller contains a speaker’s plea to Apollo that he allow the sun to set and rest, and love to descend.
The Flower by George Herbert
‘The Flower’ by George Herbert describes how the changing of the seasons impacts a speaker’s outlook on life and his relationship with God.
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.
Willow Poem by William Carlos Williams
‘Willow Poem’ by William Carlos Williams describes the life cycle of a willow tree that is surprised by the coming of winter.
Songs of the Spavinaw by Ruth Muskrat Bronson
‘Songs of the Spavinaw’ by Ruth Muskrat Bronson describes the powers, abilities and fears of a river which is at the mercy of humankind.
Coming by Philip Larkin
‘Coming’ by Philip Larkin is about spring and how emotional its arrival can be. The peace, joy, and promise of spring rub off on Larkin’s speaker in a wonderful way.
The Dying Child by John Clare
‘The Dying Child’ describes a child who is unable to die during springtime but unfortunately, whose circumstances change when winter comes.
Blue-Butterfly Day by Robert Frost
‘Blue-Butterfly Day’ by Robert Frost beautifully describes the movements of a flock of butterflies. He uses them as a way of describing the cycle of life and death.
Work without Hope by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
‘Work without Hope’ by Samuel Taylor Coleridge describes the ways in which Nature works and the importance of having goals, or hopes, to strive towards.
Consumption by William Cullen Bryant
‘Consumption’ by William Cullen Bryant describes the fast-approaching death of a tuberculosis patient and her path to heaven.