Visitors to the Black Belt by Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes’ “Visitors to the Black Belt” is about the ignorant and privileged worldviews that the oppressive white upper-class perpetuates about Black people’s lives and culture.
I had no time to hate, because by Emily Dickinson
“I had no time to hate, because” by Emily Dickinson is about the speaker’s disillusionment of love and hate induced by life’s brevity.
The Brain, within its Groove by Emily Dickinson
In “The Brain, within its Groove,” Emily Dickinson describes how the Brain runs smoothly when following a particular course of thought.
If you were coming in the Fall by Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson’s poem “If you were coming in the Fall” is about the pining of a speaker who would have waited for a long time if she could be reunited with her lover.
A Wounded Deer – leaps highest – by Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson’s “A Wounded Deer – leaps highest –” is about full-spirited desperation in times of dire need, for instance, while dying.
Spring by Edna St. Vincent Millay
Edna St. Vincent Millay’s poem “Spring” is about the coming of April and how it makes people forget their harsh realities.
The Huntsman by Edward Lowbury
Edward Lowbury’s poem “The Huntsman” is about a hunter named Kagwa, who comes across a talking skull while hunting for a lion.
Song for a Dark Girl by Langston Hughes
“Song for a Dark Girl” by Langston Hughes is a poem about the death of a young woman’s lover, who was lynched to death and hung up on a crossroads tree.
To a Dark Girl by Gwendolyn Bennett
Gwendolyn Bennett’s “To a Dark Girl” is an open love letter to a dark girl who is discouraged by her past and thinks less of herself.
The Heart asks Pleasure—first— by Emily Dickinson
Dickinson’s “The Heart asks Pleasure—first—” is about the desires of an aching heart. It highlights what a person needs the most, down to the least.