Skip to content

Best Poems About

work

25 of the finest poems about work, ranked by thematic depth.


  1. 01

    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 work brings more satisfaction than daydreaming or fantasizin

  2. 02

    Two Tramps in Mud Time

    Robert Frost

    A speaker is chopping wood for enjoyment on a muddy spring day when two out-of-work lumberjacks arrive, silently challenging him to give up the task. The poem uses this tense standoff to explore a deeper question: what happens when your pas


Want more on this theme? Read our full essay about work in poetry.