Clik here to view.
“Bereavement,” By Percy Bysshe Shelley - Shelley's poem describes one man's...
Percy Bysshe Shelley is known as one of the preeminent Romantic English poets of the 19th century. Though he only lived to be 29 years old, he is regarded by many to be one of the most influential...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“Because I Could Not Stop For Death” by Emily Dickinson - A poem that...
“Because I could not stop for death He kindly stopped for me The carriage held but just ourselves And immortality.” Emily Dickinson, born in 1830, was in many ways a living contradiction. She was...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“Death of a Young Son by Drowning” by Margaret Atwood - The poem dives into...
Margaret Atwood’s earthy poem, “Death of a Young Son by Drowning,” perfectly captures the life-altering heartache that comes after the loss of a child. Atwood’s words are abundant in texture, and her...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“Like Father Like Son” by Douglas Mcguire - A touching poem about a military...
The poem I chose today, “Like Father Like Son” pays tribute to Memorial Day in the United States. It is the day when Americans honor the men and women who gave their lives in the service of their...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“My Dad’s Hands” by David Ketter, a Father’s Day Poem - A man remembers...
On June 18 of this year, the third Sunday of the month, the United States celebrated Father’s Day. Father’s Day was first observed throughout Catholic Europe on March 19 during the Middle Ages. As time...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“Non sum qualis eram bonae sub regno Cynarae,” by Ernest Dowson - A simple...
Ernest Dowson’s unusually titled poem, “Non sum qualis eram bonae sub regno Cynarae” (“I am not as I was in the reign of good Cynara”) is a simple yet very effective piece about a man’s longing for a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“I’m Here” by James P. Graham - A dead mother speaks to her child from the grave
“I’m Here” is a poem by James P. Graham. The author was just 17 when his mother died, and his little sister was 3. He wrote “I’m Here” so that his sister could remember their mother and how much she …...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“The Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson - When is...
When people seek poems about soldiers valiantly facing death, they often turn to “The Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. It’s little wonder. The poet was so moved when he received...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“I Have a Rendezvous with Death” by Alan Seeger - A young poet foretells his...
Poet Alan Seeger wrote “I Have a Rendezvous with Death” sometime during World War I. His premonition proved accurate. Seeger was shot in the stomach and died in 1916 during the Battle of Somme. The...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“On the Death of Anne Bronte” by Charlotte Bronte - The loss of a sister...
In England in the 1840s, one of the most revered literary families was the Bronte sisters, Charlotte Bronte, Emily Bronte and Anne Bronte. The parents, Patrick and Maria, had five girls and one boy....
View ArticleClik here to view.
“At the Gate” by Henrik Nordbrandt - The sudden death of a loved one makes...
Dying takes place in so many different ways. Some people, for instance, die slowly as the result of a terminal illness or a condition like heart disease. Others die swiftly, victims of an accident or a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Funeral Poem for an Infant - "A Baby's Death" by Algernon Charles Swinburne
A few years ago, friends of mine were thrilled by the arrival of their first son. Their joy quickly turned to horror and grief a few hours later when doctors informed them that the baby had a fatal...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“A Woman Is Talking to Death” by Judy Grahn - A woman addresses death, and a...
“we are the fat of the land, and we all have our lists of casualties” Judy Grahn’s ambitious, arresting work, “A Woman Is Talking to Death” is her most celebrated poem, a piece about meaning and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae - A doctor's poem to his dead friend...
“In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae was inspired by World War I, which was known sadly and incorrectly as the war to end all wars. On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of the Austro-Hungarian...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“Suppose” by E.E. Cummings - We explore the meaning and lyricism of E.E....
E.E. Cummings, a prolific and pioneering poet from the early 20th century, is a master of image, and his lyric, witty style paints thoughtful, compelling landscapes. He is known for his unusual and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Rainbow Bridge Is Where Our Pets Wait for Us - Where do animals go when...
Ever since humans have become aware of our own mortality, we have wondered what happens to us when we die. Do we slip away into a mindless oblivion, or do we go someplace beautiful and special? Does...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Memorial Day Poem: “Vigil Strange I Kept on the Field One Night” - Death of a...
Memorial Day has its roots in the American Civil War. Both the North and South wanted to set aside days to honor their dead. After World War I, the country set aside a day to honor all Americans killed...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“Thanatopsis” by William Cullen Bryant - This classic poem is often a teen's...
The 19th century poet William Cullen Bryant could not recall when he wrote “Thanatopsis.” Similarly, I long ago lost count of how many of my high school students had not thought much about their...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 71” May Have a Hidden Meaning - The works of William...
Most people know Shakespeare for his plays, such as “Romeo and Juliet,” “Macbeth” and “Hamlet.” He was also, however, a gifted poet, penning 154 sonnets. In 1609, he wrote “Sonnet 71.” “Sonnet 71” was...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“In Blackwater Woods” by Mary Oliver - A beautiful poem about love, loss, and...
Mary Oliver is a contemporary American poet widely recognized for her descriptive poetry that draws on metaphors from the natural world, typically from the forests of her adopted Massachusetts. One...
View Article
