Our Short Poems Collection highlights the power of poetry through titles that make an impact in few words. These bite-sized selections offer a convenient starting place for readers new to analyzing poetry or anyone who appreciates short-form verse and its ability to move and inspire.
Publication year 1993
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Society: Education
Tags Lyric Poem, Education, Modernism
Publication year 1980
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Diversity, Arts / Culture
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Fathers, Society: Education, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: The Past, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia
Tags Relationships, Agriculture, Lyric Poem, Education, Education
Publication year 2002
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Identity: Language, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Literature
Tags Lyric Poem, Humor, Romance, Arts / Culture, Class, American Literature, African American Literature
Harryette Mullen’s “Dim Lady” may remind some readers of 17th century English playwright and poet William Shakespeare’s well-known “Sonnet 130,” in which the speaker of the poem makes a mockery of his beloved’s physical appearance. During Shakespeare’s time, fashion encouraged poets to write flowery poetry that extolled the virtues and the beauty of their beloved. However, the speaker of this sonnet toys with poetic conventions of the time, describing the physical attributes of the speaker’s... Read Dim Lady Summary
Publication year 1973
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Identity: Gender
Tags Gender / Feminism, Lyric Poem, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), American Literature, History: World, LGBTQ, Classic Fiction
“Diving into the Wreck” is the title poem of Adrienne Rich’s 1973 National Book Award-winning collection. A 94-line, ten stanza free verse poem, the work encompasses Rich’s thematic concerns of radical feminism and art and examines how gender functions within the larger context of culture, literature, and oral tradition.Rich’s mid-career poem came about during a period of intense change in her life. While her earlier poems had been more traditional in form and topic, over... Read Diving into the Wreck Summary
Publication year 1951
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance
Tags Classic Fiction, Education, Education, British Literature, History: World
“Do not go gentle into that good night” is an iconic poem by 20th-century Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, who occupied a special place in the public imagination for his magnetic readings and the revival of Romantic themes in his poetry. This poem, which appeared in his 1952 collection In Country Sleep, remains a favorite in anthologies and popular culture for its universal content and unforgettable dual refrain. “Do not go gentle into that good night” is... Read Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night Summary
Publication year 1930
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Lyric Poem, Grief / Death, Religion / Spirituality, American Literature
Publication year 2016
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Narrative / Epic Poem, Religion / Spirituality, Indian Literature
Publication year 1867
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Natural World: Place
Tags Lyric Poem, Religion / Spirituality, Victorian Period, Education, Education, British Literature, History: World, Victorian Literature / Period, Classic Fiction
Publication year 1979
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Aging, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Place, Natural World: Appearance & Reality
Tags Lyric Poem, Grief / Death
Publication year 1968
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Joy, Values/Ideas: Fame
Tags Satire, Lyric Poem, Race / Racism
Publication year 1962
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Natural World: Place
Tags Lyric Poem, Science / Nature, American Literature
Publication year 2015
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Identity: Gender, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance
Tags Inspirational, Music, Gender / Feminism
Publication year 1920
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Society: War, Society: Nation
Tags Military / War, Grief / Death, WWI / World War I, Education, Education, British Literature, History: World, Classic Fiction
Among Wilfred Owen’s most famous poems, “Dulce et Decorum Est” was written in 1917 while he was in Craiglockhart War Hospital in Scotland, recovering from injuries sustained on the battlefield during World War I. The poem details the death of a soldier from chlorine gas told by another soldier who witnesses his gruesome end. Owen himself died in action on November 4, 1918 in France at the age of 25. He published only five poems... Read Dulce et Decorum est Summary
Publication year 1994
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Lyric Poem, Science / Nature, Religion / Spirituality
Publication year 1986
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Relationships: Marriage, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Emotions/Behavior: Love
Tags Free verse, Relationships
Publication year 1986
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Relationships: Family
Publication year 1921
Genre Poem, Fiction
Tags History: European, Grief / Death, Modernism
Publication year 1633
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Christian literature, Religion / Spirituality, Restoration
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Relationships: Fathers, Natural World: Food, Natural World: Appearance & Reality
Tags Food