Sally’s Hair by John Koethe
‘Sally’s Hair’ by John Koethe is a short and effective poem in which the speaker looks back on someone he met thirty-seven years ago and wonders where she is now.
The Vagabond by Robert Louis Stevenson
‘The Vagabond’ by Robert Louis Stevenson is a poem about one speaker’s desire to live a life close to nature and far from the rules of contemporary society.
The Wedding by Moniza Alvi
‘The Wedding’ by Moniza Alvi depicts a wedding ceremony and a bride’s apprehensive approach to her new home in England and her new English family.
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.
Northern Pike by James Wright
‘Northern Pike’ by James Wright is a beautiful poem written from the perspective of a man on a fishing trip.
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.
A Martian Sends a Postcard Home by Craig Raine
‘A Martian Sends a Postcard Home’ by Craig Raine describes what Earth is like from the perspective of a Martian. It is a thoughtful and beautiful poem.
Traveling through the Dark by William Stafford
‘Traveling through the Dark’ by William Stafford is a powerful poem about life, death, and nature. The lines depict someone’s choices in regard to a dead, pregnant doe he finds on the side of the road.
Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy’s Farm in Pine Island, Minnesota by James Wright
‘Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy’s Farm in Pine Island, Minnesota’ by James Wright describes a speaker’s new appreciation for the countryside. They find themselves so attached to it that they suggest they’ve wasted their life not living there.
Bobby Shafto’s Gone to Sea
‘Bobby Shafto’s Gone to Sea’ is a traditional English folk song and nursery rhyme. It describes a speaker’s longing for her love, Bobby Shafto, who is out on a sea voyage.
Echoes of Cloncurry by Juliette A. H. Cavendish
‘Echoes of Cloncurry’ by Juliette A. H. Cavendish is a thoughtful poem about Cloncurry, Australia, and its entrancing past and present.
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.
The Listeners by Walter de la Mare
‘The Listeners’ by Walter de la Mare describes the actions of a Traveller who knocks at the door of a seemingly deserted home at night.
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.
Monuments by Kamala Wijeratne
‘Monuments’ by Kamala Wijeratne describes the depressed state of a Sri Lankan community in the midst of the Civil War which lasted from 1983 to 2009.
In Your Mind by Carol Ann Duffy
‘In Your Mind’ by Carol Ann Duffy describes a detailed daydream in which the reader of the poem embarks on a strangely familiar trip.
Travel by Edna St. Vincent Millay
‘Travel’ by Edna St. Vincent Millay speaks of one narrator’s unquenchable longing for the opportunity to escape from her everyday life.
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.
Hitcher by Simon Armitage
‘Hitcher’ by Simon Armitage describes a brutal act of violence against a “free” hitchhiker committed by a speaker who is “under / the weather.”
Directive by Robert Frost
‘Directive’ by Robert Frost is about the relationship between the past and the present. It is a very well regarded poem that has been described as “dismaying” and “gratifying.”
Sailing to Byzantium by William Butler Yeats
Yeats’ poems are continually referenced in popular culture, including the poem ‘Sailing to Byzantium’. Its first line, “That is no country for old men…” was used for the title of Cormac McCarthy’s popular novel, “No Country for Old Men,” later adapted for the big screen.