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
Mother's Day.
18 poems, ranked.
18 of the finest public-domain poems about mother's day, 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
A Mother
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“This short poem portrays a mother standing up for her right to bring her children to Jesus for his blessing, resisting those who would turn them away. In just t…”
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02
By Clotilde De Surville
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“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 confi…”
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03
Clearances
Seamus Heaney
“*Clearances* is a sequence of sonnets by Seamus Heaney that he wrote following his mother's death. It reflects on the simple, everyday moments they experienced…”
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The complete index
- 04
Mother and Child
Eugene Field
A tiny dewdrop falls into a rose, and they instantly fall for each other — but the sky, feeling jealous, snatches the dewdrop back with a beam of light. The rose, heartbroken from…
- 05
The Lyttel Boy
Eugene Field
A little boy who constantly stays close to his mother, often getting "in the way," is taken by God — and it’s only after he’s gone that she understands how valuable that closeness…
- 06
To My Mother
Archibald Lampman
This short poem is a heartfelt dedication where Lampman acknowledges his mother for bringing goodness into his life—the light, the song, and the poetry itself. He requests that she…
- 07
Demeter
H. D. · 1921
Demeter, the Greek goddess of the harvest, shares her feelings about being revered as a grand, heavy statue adorned with gold, while her daughter Persephone is the one who captures…
- 08
Child and Mother
Eugene Field
A young child invites his mother to join him in a magical dreamland, where they can forget the small struggles of everyday life. In this dream world, the child takes on the role of…
- 09
Cornish Lullaby
Eugene Field
A mother sings her baby to sleep, while outside in the hills, trolls and a miner sing solely about gold. This poem highlights a contrast: no amount of glittering wealth can compare…
- 10
Little All-Aloney
Eugene Field
A toddler known as "All-Aloney" wobbles and stumbles down a hallway, with his mother keeping a watchful eye and cheering him on. The poem captures that innocent, fearless joy a you…
- 11
Mother and Sphinx
Eugene Field
A mother softly sings a lullaby to her sleeping child while the ancient Sphinx stands watch in the Egyptian desert, awaiting a long-promised king. The poem flows between the mother…
- 12
Night Feed
Eavan Boland
A mother wakes in the early hours to breastfeed her baby, and the poem takes us through the quiet, dark house — capturing the intimacy of feeding, the peaceful world outside, and t…
- 13
The Mother
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A mother recounts the Gospel story of the Syrophoenician woman—a foreigner who wouldn’t accept no as an answer when she pleaded with Jesus to heal her daughter tormented by demons.…
- 14
The Mother's Ghost
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A deceased mother hears her six children weeping from their grave because their unkind stepmother is starving and neglecting them. She receives permission from God to return for on…
- 15
Sorrow
D. H. Lawrence
A speaker catches a whiff of cigarette smoke curling into the air, and it hits him with a wave of sorrow for his deceased mother. The smoke brings back memories of carrying her whi…
- 16
The Virgin Mother
D. H. Lawrence
A son stands at his mother's deathbed, saying goodbye while grappling with grief and an unexpected sense of freedom. He reflects on how she gave him life in two ways — first throug…
- 17
Unknown Girl in the Maternity Ward
Anne Sexton
A young, unmarried woman in a maternity ward speaks to the newborn she is about to put up for adoption, alternating between deep affection and the painful reality of letting go. Sh…
- 18
Amores
D. H. Lawrence
*Amores* is the title of a collection — Latin for "loves" — that D. H. Lawrence published in 1916. This volume of poems delves into the painful, tender, and complex emotions trigge…
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