The Mountain
by Elizabeth Bishop
‘The Mountain’ by Elizabeth Bishop is a poem portraying the transience of nature and life from the viewpoint of a personified mountain.
The Night Dances
by Sylvia Plath
In ‘The Night Dances’, Plath reflects on the fleeting human experience and the inevitability of death and emptiness.
The Old Fools
by Philip Larkin
‘The Old Fools’ by Philip Larkin is a poem about what happens when one grows older and begins to forget about their life.
The Railway Children
by Seamus Heaney
‘The Railway Children’ by Seamus Heaney is a beautiful poem about the imagination of children. Specifically, Heaney conveys and experience from his youth.
The Way My Mother Speaks
by Carol Ann Duffy
‘The Way My Mother Speaks’ by Carol Ann Duffy describes a speaker’s developing connection to her mother’s way of speaking.
I say her phrases to myself
in my head
or under the shallows of my breath,
restful shapes moving.
The day and ever. The day and ever.
The Wild Swans at Coole
by William Butler Yeats
In this poem, ‘The Wild Swans at Coole,’ Yeats explores the theme of the frailty of human life through his speaker.
The Youngest Daughter
by Cathy Song
‘The Youngest Daughter’ was published in Cathy Song’s first poetry collection Picture Bride (1983). This poem explores the relationship of an aging daughter and her mother.
There was a time when my cheek burned
by Emily Brontë
‘There was a time when my cheek burned’ by Emily Brontë is a sextilla that describes a speaker’s passion for truth, and justice, and how the world disappointed them.
to my last period
by Lucille Clifton
‘to my last period’ by Lucille Clifton is a thoughtful poem. In it, the speaker mourns for her lost youth and acknowledges further changes to come.
Touch Me
by Stanley Kunitz
‘Touch Me’ by Stanley Kunitz is a moving poem about aging, the loss of identity, and desire. It explores what keeps people, and creatures of all varieties, going as they enter the final “season” of their life.
Traveling Light
by Alice Fulton
‘Traveling Light’ by Alice Fulton is a powerful poem that weaves together images of the present and the past. Throughout, readers can explore Fulton’s understanding of her relationship with her father and her current relationship with the landscape around her.
Vermilion Flycatcher, San Pedro River, Arizona
by Margaret Atwood
‘Vermilion Flycatcher, San Pedro River, Arizona’ by Margaret Atwood discusses the ways that nature changes and doesn’t change over time as well as humanity’s impact (or lack thereof).
When I Was One-and-Twenty
by A. E. Housman
‘When I Was One-and-Twenty’ by A. E. Housman is a relatable poem that explores how easy it is to make mistakes in one’s love life, even when one knows exactly what they should do.
White Roses
by Gillian Clarke
‘White Roses’ by Gillian Clarke is a heart-wrenching poem and true story about a sick child who bravely contends with pain during his short life.
Why Flowers Change Color
by Robert Herrick
‘Why Flowers Change Color’ by Robert Herrick is a short poem that speaks about virginity, virgins, and the reason that flowers change colors. The poem is often interpreted in different ways due to the few details Herrick provides in the four lines.
With rue my heart is laden
by A. E. Housman
‘With rue my heart is laden’ by A.E. Housman is a short and simple poem in which a speaker looks back on what they’ve lost from their youth.
XII: An Epitaph
by A. E. Housman
In Housman’s ‘XII: An Epitaph,’ readers will hear from a speaker who knows he’s about to die and is happy to accept his fate.
