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Short Poems
Finely crafted short poems can pack a lot of punch into just a few words. Below are some of the best short poems in the English language by well known poets, although there are obviously many others that could have been chosen, as well. Some achieve a state of near-perfection, which is usually easier to accomplish in short poems. Two -- "Variations: XII" and "Into my heart on air that kills" -- can evoke a wistful feeling with just a few words. These two poems are brilliant examples of what short poems can achieve. So is "Eight O' Clock," which has a rhythm and sound combinations that seem to embody what it describes. Another short poem, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," offers a panorama of history in a few words, while the excerpt, "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow," which functions as a short poem even though it is part of Macbeth, offers a despairing philosophy of life in just a few brilliantly evocative lines. Finally, "We Real Cool" hits the reader with an ironic ending after a mere twenty four words and eight abbreviated lines (not including a brief precede).
Enjoy these poems. They're short on words, but
not on feeling or significant meaning.
Short Poems by A. E. Housman
Eight O' Clock
by A. E. Housman
Into my
heart on air that kills
by A. E. Housman
Short Poems by Benjamin Franklin
Death is a
Fisherman
by Benjamin Franklin
Time was my spouse and I
could not agree
by Benjamin Franklin
Poems are from Poor Richard's Almanack
Titles are first lines
Short Poems by Robert Frost
For Once,
Then, Something
by Robert Frost
The Road Not Taken
by Robert Frost
Short Poems by Alfred Lord Tennyson
The Making of Man
by Alfred Lord Tennyson
The Kraken
by Alfred Lord Tennyson
Short Poems by Gerard Manley Hopkins
As
Kingfishers Catch Fire
by Gerard Manley
Hopkins
Pied Beauty
by Gerard Manley
Hopkins
Short Poems by Other Poets
An Irish Airman
foresees his Death
by W.B. Yeats
We Real
Cool
by Gwendolyn
Brooks
Plus
commentary
Variations: XII
by Conrad Aiken
(Highly recommended)
The Negro
Speaks of Rivers
by Langston Hughes
Invictus
by William Ernest Henley
One’s-Self I Sing
by Walt Whitman
Personal
Letter No. 3
Sonia Sanchez
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow
from Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Not exactly a short poem, since it is from a
play,
but a short excerpt, anyway.
Short Poems by the website author, Ken Sanes
Here are nine short poems (or in two cases, reasonably short poems) by
the
creator and owner of this site. You can find
more of these (long
and
short) poems
on the homepage.
Not by Design!
A New Day
Recipe
for a Good Life
Time Scheme
We Seek Him
A Day, Just Now
This Is the Kind of Day
The
Gift of Light