Tag Archives: Poems about Death

A Poet Picks Up His Late Father’s Dry Cleaning

"Charity" by poet Kevin Young

Poet Kevin Young’s collection “Book of Hours” features poems about the death of his late father interspersed with poems about the birth of his son. The poems are reflections on these seminal events that so dramatically influenced the lens through which … Continue reading

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“Tattered Kaddish” by Adrienne Rich

A poem honoring those who die by suicide

For seven decades, Adrienne Rich wrote and published stunning poetry and prose that touched her readers, made them think, and challenged them to shift their perspectives. Much of Rich’s work is explicitly rooted in her identities as mother, housewife, poet, Jew, … Continue reading

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“Poems of Mourning,” Edited by Peter Washington

A collection of poems about grief and loss

“Poems of Mourning” is a volume from the Everyman’s Library Pocket Poets Series, which, in turn, is part and parcel of Everyman’s Library, a reprint series that publishes new and beautiful editions of literary classics, mostly from from the western … Continue reading

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“The Dead” by Billy Collins

A poem that imagines the dead watching over us

Former United States Poet Laureate Billy Collins, who Bruce Weber of the The New York Times called “the most popular poet in America,” writes conversational, playful poems that drop observational truth bombs with a deft, lighthearted touch. Collins is a poet who brings his warmth and wit to the … Continue reading

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“The Mower” by Phillip Larkin

A poem about an "inconsequential" death has deeper meaning for humankind

Philip Larkin (1922-1985) was one of England’s most highly respected post-war poets. Born in Coventry, he earned a BA in English from St. John’s College, Oxford, after which he studied library science, which became his lifelong career. In addition to … Continue reading

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“Thanatopsis” by William Cullen Bryant

This classic poem is often a teen's introduction to deeply thinking about death

The 19th century poet William Cullen Bryant could not recall when he wrote “Thanatopsis.” Similarly, I long ago lost count of how many of my high school students had not thought much about their mortality before we turned to the poem in our American Literature … Continue reading

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