Poems
Poetry
The Rainbow Bridge poem was written in 1959 by Scottish teenager Edna Clyne-Rekhy after her dog died. Its true story, meaning and comfort for pet loss.
Eight of David Whyte's best-loved poems, from Enough to The Well of Grief: a short excerpt, the book each comes from, what it means, and where to read it.
Langston Hughes's Harlem asks what happens to a dream that keeps getting put off, and makes you feel the answer. Here's what the poem means, where it came from, and what it asks of you.
Broken Chain is a sympathy poem by Ron Tranmer, written when his own family lost someone. What it means, why it comforts, and how to use it with credit.
Hey Black Child is a 1975 poem of affirmation by Chicago poet Useni Eugene Perkins, written for his children's musical Black Fairy. Its story and meaning.
Ten Amanda Lovelace poems we love, what each one says and why it lands, with links to her Instagram and books.
Who wrote the funeral poem Life Is But a Stopping Place? The honest answer, what the poem says, and gentle tips for reading it at a service.
A short rhyming poem about a tree that survives the storm through its roots: what it means, how it works, and what we know about who wrote it.
The famous Live Your Life poem is not Tecumseh's. Where the words really come from, what they say, and who the Shawnee leader actually was.
Laura Gilpin's nine-line poem about a calf with one night to live: what it means, how it works, who Gilpin was, and where to read it in full.
A reader's guide to Rupi Kaur's milk and honey: its four chapters, themes and style, its reception and critique, and nine of her poems to start with.
Dorothea Mackellar's 1908 love poem to Australia: what it says, why the sunburnt country lines endure, who she was, and where to read it in full.
Not by Erin Hanson reminds us we are not our age, size or weight. What the poem means, who wrote it, and why it is often credited to Hemingway.
‘I wandered lonely as a cloud’, written by William Wordsworth and popularly known as Daffodils is a beautiful poem on finding and appreciating the little joys of life.
Wendell Berry's eleven-line poem about finding rest in nature when worry keeps you awake: what it does, how it works, and where to read or hear it.
Thirteen Rupi Kaur love poems, from first sparks to heartbreak, each linked to her own Instagram post with notes on what it says and why it lands.
Eleven Rupi Kaur poems on womanhood, sisterhood and legacy, each linked to her own Instagram post, with notes on what each poem does and why it lands.
When your own words won't come, borrow a poet's. Nine heartfelt gratitude poems for the people who carry you, with a note on when to share each one.
In A Moment of Happiness, Rumi pictures two lovers on a verandah, apparently two but one in soul. Its meaning, its translator, and why it still moves us.
Don't Quit gives you permission to rest on the hard days, just not to give up. Here's what the poem asks of you, who most likely wrote it, and how to tell when to keep going and when stopping is wiser.
The Dash by Linda Ellis is a 1996 poem about the line between birth and death dates on a tombstone, and how we spend the life it stands for.
Twenty-seven Rupi Kaur poems on self-love, grouped for the days you need them, each linked to her own Instagram post with notes on what it says.
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