Is My Team Ploughing by A. E. Housman
“Is My Team Ploughing” was published as number XXVII in A. E. Housman’s best-loved cycle of poems A Shropshire Lad. It presents a conversation between a deceased lover and his friend.
Our revels now are ended by William Shakespeare
“Our revels now are ended” appears in Act 4, Scene 1 of The Tempest. Critics regard this soliloquy as Shakespeare’s “retirement speech”.
It Couldn’t Be Done by Edgar Guest
Edgar Guest’s poem “It Couldn’t Be Done” is all about the diligence and self-motivation that help one to sail through all the hardships.
To a Poor Old Woman by William Carlos Williams
William Carlos Williams’ “To a Poor Old Woman” is about a woman who is savoring the rich taste of ripe plums with all her senses in the street.
Casabianca by Felicia Dorothea Hemans
“Casabianca” (1826), written by English poet Felicia Dorothea Hemans, is a story about a boy named Casabianca who for his sheer obedience to his father lost his life.
As I Grew Older by Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes’ poem “As I Grew Older” is about how a speaker had a dream and how it was difficult to achieve due to racial discrimination.
The Arrow and the Song by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
H. W. Longfellow’s poem “The Arrow and the Song” was first published in 1845. It is about how the poet shot an arrow, and later breathed some melodic verses of a song.
A child said, What is the grass? by Walt Whitman
“A child said, What is the grass?” Can readers answer this question in simple terms without using botanical jargon?
The First Snowfall by James Russell Lowell
“The First Snowfall” is about the death of James Russell Lowell’s first daughter Blanche and how the snowfall kept him reminding of his daughter.
Equinox by Elizabeth Alexander
Elizabeth Alexander’s “Equinox” metaphorically explores the themes of old-age, death, and life. It’s about the speaker’s old grandmother.