Short Poems

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