Best Poems About
The world feels like it’s unraveling — violence surrounds us, decent people seem to have fallen silent, and the fanatics are drowning them out. Yeats imagines a terrifying creature stirring from a 2,000-year slumber and making its way to Be
This brief dramatic piece features Corey, a Puritan farmer overwhelmed by the hysteria of the Salem witch trials. He's so absorbed in his fears that he can't even acknowledge a neighbor's friendly greeting. Corey expresses the deep paranoia
This scene from Shelley’s verse drama *The Cenci* depicts the monstrous Count Cenci as he schemes to ruin his daughter Beatrice—physically, mentally, and socially—while his wife Lucretia tries unsuccessfully to intervene. Driven by a deep h
This is the opening scene of Shelley's verse drama *The Cenci*, where we meet Count Cenci, a ruthless Roman nobleman who has just bribed the Pope to hide a murder. Cardinal Camillo attempts to reach out to any conscience Cenci might still h
A young boy who enjoyed collecting frogspawn from a nearby flax dam slowly loses his innocent joy in nature when he sees the frogs coming back to reclaim their eggs — and feels more fear than fascination. The poem captures the precise momen
In "Elm," Sylvia Plath presents an ancient elm tree that talks directly to the reader about suffering, fear, and the frightening depths of the self. The tree symbolizes Plath's own psyche — grounded yet troubled, facing every storm and dark
This poem immerses us in King Herod's thoughts as he decides to carry out the Massacre of the Innocents—the biblical killing of infant boys in Bethlehem intended to eliminate the newborn Jesus. Longfellow portrays Herod as a blustering, win
Shelley gazes at a painting he thinks is by Leonardo da Vinci, depicting the severed head of Medusa. He feels torn between horror and fascination with its beauty. He contends that it’s not the monster’s ugliness that paralyzes you — it’s th
A young boy boasts about his bravery during the day—he isn't afraid of snakes, bugs, or anything else—but every night when the lights go out, shadowy figures emerge in his room and frighten him. He links these nighttime apparitions to the t
A speaker joins a group of beekeepers in a rural village ritual, but instead of feeling involved, she feels like an outsider — exposed, vulnerable, and gradually becoming the victim instead of just watching. The poem captures a growing sens
A ghostly army encircles Prague at night, only to disappear when the cathedral bell tolls for morning prayer. Longfellow then discloses that this was merely a metaphor: the true besieged city is the human soul, haunted by fears and doubts t
Written in 1830, "The Demons" is a short lyric about a traveler caught in a blizzard at night who starts to believe that the swirling snow-spirits are leading him astray. The storm outside reflects his inner turmoil — confusion, dread, and
A nurse gasps in horror as two men tear a child apart — the child being King Herod's only son. This poem is a brief, impactful dramatic monologue that encapsulates a moment filled with shock and sorrow. In just three lines, Longfellow evoke
A ghostly horseman shows up every seven years, riding a white horse across a stormy heath, and his arrival sends every dark creature in the spirit world into a frenzy. The poem creates a sense of dread by first clarifying what the figure is
A boy is held captive by a coven of witches led by Canidia, who intend to bury him alive and watch him die slowly, all to gather his dried organs for a love potion. Initially, the boy pleads for mercy, but when he understands that no plea w
A speaker traces the path left by a fleeing figure through the forest — crushed hyacinths, broken roots, a dragged limb — assembling the chase like a detective piecing together clues. The pursued individual accelerates, stumbles, and then d
This intense moment from Shelley's verse play *The Cenci* depicts Beatrice Cenci as she plots to kill her abusive father, Count Cenci. Just before the act, two hired assassins hesitate, but Beatrice — filled with anger and determination — p
A speaker gazes out of a window, anxiously awaiting the arrival of a telegram boy at their gate—because a telegram would bring news of someone they care about who is gravely ill. The boy rides by without pausing, and rather than feeling rel
This is a tense moment from Shelley's verse play *The Cenci*, taking place on a castle's ramparts at midnight. Beatrice and her mother Lucretia are plotting the murder of Beatrice's cruel father, Count Cenci, alongside two hired assassins.
A mother gazes at her sleeping baby and feels a jolt of fear: the child lies so still and pale that he seems lifeless. In a panic, she gently wakes him to confirm he’s alive, then breathes a sigh of relief — but is left with a quiet longing
This brief poem is Longfellow's English version of a well-known prayer-poem by the 16th-century Spanish mystic, Saint Teresa of Ávila. It encourages readers not to fear or be disturbed by anything life throws their way, as all worldly thing
A witch named Canidia gives an angry, triumphant speech to a man who ridiculed her dark rituals and exposed her secrets to the people of Rome. She informs him that no amount of pleading will help him — she has cursed him to endure a life of
Christabel is a young noblewoman who sneaks out at night to pray for her distant lover. During her nighttime escapades, she brings home a mysterious stranger named Geraldine, who proves to be far more sinister than just a damsel in distress
A young soldier named Danny Deever is about to be hanged in front of his entire regiment for shooting a fellow soldier while he slept. The poem features a dialogue between two soldiers: a nervous private called Files-on-Parade and a seasone
A child lies inside a house as a violent storm rages outside, while two adults—most likely his parents—engage in a fierce, ugly argument. Lawrence uses the thrashing ash tree to reflect the turmoil indoors, merging the chaos of nature with