Editor's note
Ranking is generated by Storgy's classification model, which scores each poem's thematic depth on this subject relative to the rest of the corpus. The list is re-indexed weekly as new poems enter the public-domain corpus.
Best poems about — Storgy
Language and Communication.
Twenty-five poems, ranked.
25 of the finest public-domain poems about language and communication, ranked by thematic depth. Scored by Storgy's classification model against the rest of the corpus, and re-indexed weekly as new works enter the canon.
The leading three
01
The Flea
John Donne · 1633
“A man is attempting to persuade a woman to sleep with him by highlighting a flea that has bitten them both. He argues that since the flea now has their blood mi…”
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02
My Last Duchess
Robert Browning · 1842
“A Duke is displaying a painting of his deceased ex-wife to an envoy sent to discuss his upcoming marriage. As he speaks, it becomes evident that he orchestrated…”
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03
We Wear the Mask
Paul Laurence Dunbar · 1896
“A group of people—Black Americans during Dunbar's era—must conceal their true pain behind cheerful, agreeable expressions just to navigate a hostile environment…”
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The complete index
- 04
Sympathy
Paul Laurence Dunbar · 1899
A caged bird sits amidst the beauty of the natural world it cannot touch, and Dunbar captures that feeling perfectly — the longing, the pain, and the fervent singing. The bird's so…
- 05
Cotton-Wool
Alfred Noyes · 1907
Alfred Noyes advises children to disregard the so-called "clever" individuals in the world — those who twist words, show off, and make genuine goodness seem boring. He suggests tha…
- 06
Mowing
Robert Frost · 1913
A farmer mows a field by himself, taking in the soft sound of his scythe cutting through the grass, and wonders what it might be "saying." The poem suggests that genuine, hands-on…
- 07
The Matin-Song of Friar Tuck
Alfred Noyes · 1913
Friar Tuck, the cheerful friar from the Robin Hood tales, offers a morning prayer that discovers God not in elaborate churches but in the song of a thrush perched on a hawthorn bus…
- 08
Home Burial
Robert Frost · 1914
A husband and wife stand on a staircase after losing their baby. What begins as a tense discussion about what she keeps looking at out the window escalates into a fierce argument a…
- 09
Mending Wall
Robert Frost · 1914
Every spring, two neighbors stroll along their shared fence line, fixing the stones that winter has dislodged. The speaker believes the wall is unnecessary—his apple trees aren't g…
- 10
The Death of the Hired Man
Robert Frost · 1914
A weary old farmhand named Silas has arrived unexpectedly and in a daze at the farm where he once worked. While he sleeps inside, the farmer Warren and his wife Mary sit on the por…
- 11
Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
T. S. Eliot · 1915
A middle-aged man named Prufrock roams a city, trying to gather the courage to say something significant to someone — but he never quite gets there. The entire poem unfolds as his…
- 12
Portrait of a Lady
T. S. Eliot · 1915
A young man meets with an older woman three times throughout the seasons. Each time, she pours out intense, needy speeches about friendship, life, and the desire to feel understood…
- 13
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
T. S. Eliot · 1915
Prufrock is a middle-aged man trapped in a cycle of self-doubt, unable to express himself or take meaningful action at an elegant social event. Throughout the poem, he wrestles wit…
- 14
The Oven Bird
Robert Frost · 1916
A bird known as the ovenbird continues to sing loudly in the height of summer, despite the fact that spring—the best part of the year—is already gone. Frost uses this bird as a met…
- 15
Poetry
Marianne Moore · 1919
Marianne Moore starts by confessing her dislike for poetry, then spends the entire poem detailing what might change her mind about it. She argues that poetry deserves recognition o…
- 16
Portrait of a Lady
William Carlos Williams · 1920
Williams transforms a straightforward scene—a woman sitting in a garden or an indoor space—into a playful struggle between beauty and the mundane, physical world. Whenever the poem…
- 17
A Game of Chess
T. S. Eliot · 1922
This is the second section of T. S. Eliot's *The Waste Land*, where two very different couples find themselves stuck in unfulfilling lives. In the first scene, a wealthy woman loun…
- 18
A New Madrigal to an Old Melody
Alfred Noyes · 1922
A poet strolls through an ancient forest and hears a jester named Shadow-of-a-Leaf singing a sad song for a woman named Marian who has passed away. They discuss how the modern worl…
- 19
Envoi
Alfred Noyes · 1922
This clever little poem takes a jab at literary fame and the type of clever-sounding nonsense that often pretends to be profound thought. Noyes reminds us that if trendy writers le…
- 20
Five Criticisms
Alfred Noyes · 1922
Alfred Noyes delivers five pointed critiques of the literary and political trends of his time: the cynical love-triangle novel, the obsession with novelty over truth, revolutionary…
- 21
Lines for a Sun-Dial
Alfred Noyes · 1922
A sun-dial has its own way of communicating, sharing that its shadow-hand is continuously writing a subtle, hopeful message about light and time. This brief poem is rich in meaning…
- 22
Peace in a Palace
Alfred Noyes · 1922
The Empress of Germany dreams of drowning children reaching out to her, mistaking her for their mother. As the dream unfolds, it becomes evident that she's haunted by the passenger…
- 23
Riddles of Merlin
Alfred Noyes · 1922
A traveler frequently encounters the wizard Merlin, who responds to every common observation with a profound, hidden truth: the sound of the sea actually represents the grass growi…
- 24
The Humming Birds
Alfred Noyes · 1922
Alfred Noyes observes hummingbirds honing in on a single flowering tree from thousands of miles away, using that image to illustrate how poets operate: just as hummingbirds are att…
- 25
The Lost Battle
Alfred Noyes · 1922
A poet inspires fellow idealists feeling weary from a lengthy battle for truth and justice, reminding them that the cause persists even when its champions fade. Noyes suggests that…
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