The Harlem Dancer is a poem by Claude McKay. It tells the story of a young woman who loves to dance and is trying to make a living doing it. The poem describes her movements and how she interacts with the people around her. The speaker in the poem is enamored with the dancer and … Read more
Being a mother is one of the most rewarding, yet challenging, experiences a woman can have. It is a time when you are constantly learning and growing, both as a person and as a parent. Every day brings new challenges and new joys, and it is an experience that is truly unique to each individual. … Read more
“Nothing Gold Can Stay” is a poem by Robert Frost that explores the fleeting nature of beauty. The poem begins with the image of a golden sunrise, but notes that “nothing gold can stay.” This is true of all things in life, according to the poem. Even the leaves of autumn eventually turn brown and … Read more
“To a Daughter Leaving Home” is a poem by Linda Pastan. In it, she reflects on the bittersweet nature of watching her daughter leave home and become her own person. While she knows that this is a necessary and good thing, she can’t help but feel a little sad and scared at the same time. … Read more
Edna St. Vincent Millay was an American poet and playwright. She is best known for her sonnet “Love Is Not All,” which begins with the famous line, “Love is not all: it is not meat nor drink.” “Love Is Not All” is a poem about the pain of love and its inability to cure all … Read more
Pat Mora’s poem “Legal Alien” is a powerful exploration of the immigrant experience. Through the use of metaphor, tone and antithesis, Mora captures the complex emotions that come with being an outsider in a new country. The title of the poem, “Legal Alien”, itself is a metaphor. The word “alien” typically has negative connotations, conjuring … Read more
Nikki Giovanni is a world-renowned poet whose work often focuses on the Black experience. “Woman” is one of her most famous poems, and it celebrates the strength and beauty of Black women. The poem has three stanzas, each of which begins with the word “woman.” In the first stanza, Giovanni describes how woman is created … Read more
Ernest Dowson’s poem “Vitae Summa Brevis Spem Nos Vetat Incohare Longam” is a beautiful and tragic work that reflects on the fleeting nature of life. The poem centers around the idea that we must make the most of our time, because it is ultimately limited. This theme is expressed through the use of vivid imagery … Read more
Ballad of a Worldly Wealth is a poem written by Andrew Lang. The poem is about the dangers of being too focused on wealth and possessions. Ballad of a Worldly Wealth is a cautionary tale that warns against the dangers of greed and materialism. The poem teaches that true happiness comes from leading a simple, … Read more
Julia Alvarez’s poem “How I Learned to Sweep” is a beautiful and moving poem about a young girl learning to sweep her house. Julia Alvarez was born in the Dominican Republic and came to the United States when she was ten years old. She has written many poems and novels about her experience as a … Read more
Although “Sympathy for the Devil” is a poem about Hell, it also offers a glimpse into the afterlife. The poem starts with the speaker’s sympathy for the devil, but it quickly becomes clear that the speaker is not wholeheartedly sympathetic. The poem reflects on the idea that while Hell is a bad place, it is … Read more
Icarus is a poem written by Edward Field. The poem is about the Greek mythological character Icarus, who attempted to fly too high with wings made of feathers and wax. Icarus ignored his father’s warnings and flew too close to the sun, causing the wax to melt and he fell to his death. The poem … Read more
Ruth Forman is a poet who believes that poetry should ride the bus. She says that poetry can be found in everyday life, and that it’s important to share it with others. Forman is a strong advocate for using public transportation to spread the word about poetry. She believes that poetry can help people connect … Read more
“Danse Russe” by William Carlos Williams is a poem about the beauty and grace of the Russian dance. The poem describes the dancers as they twirl and leap across the stage, their movements seeming to defy gravity. The poem ends with a sense of awe and wonder at the beauty of the dance and the … Read more
Billy Collins was born in New York City in 1941. He is the author of numerous books of poetry, including “Introduction to Poetry” which was published in 1994. The poem is written in free verse with no set rhyme scheme or meter, which allows Collins to focus on the content of the poem rather than … Read more
There are few things more uniquely American than the experience of being a Mexican American. And there are few things that capture that experience better than the poem “Legal Alien” by Pat Mora. In this poem, Mora captures the complex reality of being a Mexican American in the United States. She talks about the many … Read more
Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson are two of the most celebrated poets in American history. Though their work is often compared, these two writers had very different styles and purposes for their writing. Here, we’ll take a closer look at some of the key differences between Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson. For one, Walt Whitman … Read more
Imagery is one of the most important elements in poetry. It allows the poet to create vivid mental images that help the reader to understand the poem on a deeper level. Robert Hayden’s poem “Those Winter Sundays” is full of imagery. The first two lines of the poem, “Sundays too my father got up early/and … Read more
Alden Nowlan’s The Bull Moose poem is a fascinating and insightful look at the animal itself, as well as the symbolism that it represents. The poem begins with a description of the bull moose, which is immediately followed by a discussion of its symbolism. The bull moose is seen as a symbol of strength and … Read more
The Great Scarf of Birds is a poem by John Updike. The poem is about a bird that has a scarf that is so long, it gets tangled in the branches of a tree. The bird tries to fly away, but the scarf gets caught and the bird is pulled back down to the ground. … Read more
Sonnet 130 is one of the most famous poems written by William Shakespeare. The poem is a part of Shakespeare’s Sonnets collection, which consists of 154 sonnets. Sonnet 130 is different from many other Shakespearean sonnets in that it doesn’t idealize or praise its subject matter – instead, it pokes fun at the concept of … Read more
Shakespeare’s Sonnet is a beautiful and moving piece of poetry. It is Shakespeare’s most famous sonnet, and is considered one of the most important pieces of English literature. Shakespeare’s Sonnet is about the power of love, and its ability to transcend time and space. The poem is written in iambic pentameter, and is full of … Read more
