Tag Archives: Poems about Life

“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

Posted in The Next Chapter | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Try to Praise the Mutilated World” by Adam Zagajewski

Funeral poem finds something to celebrate in the hardest of times

“Try to Praise the Mutilated World” (2002) by Polish poet Adam Zagajewski resonates with his characteristic themes of night; dreams; history and time; infinity and eternity; silence and death. By facing the world’s sorrow with clear eyes, yet turning again … Continue reading

Posted in The Next Chapter | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Warning” by Jenny Joseph

Poet Jenny Joseph has inspired many generations

The poem I have chosen to look at today is “Warning” by British poet Jenny Joseph. Some people also refer to the poem by its first line, “When I am an old woman I shall wear purple.” The poem deals … Continue reading

Posted in The Next Chapter | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

”Halo” by Melissa Stein

A captivating poem that offers an intimate look at death

Melissa Stein is an incredibly talented author. The San Francisco poet’s work has been published in a variety of journals and anthologies, and for good reason. Her writing is visceral — the imagery it conjures is at once heartbreaking and uplifting. … Continue reading

Posted in The Next Chapter | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment



One Man Shares the Life Lessons He Learned From His Nine Year-Old Hospital Roommate with Cancer in One Remarkably Beautiful Poem

Canadian spoken word poet Shane Koyczan delivers an emotionally charged performance of his heartbreakingly beautiful poem, “The Crickets Have Arthritis”

At 2007’s Words Aloud Festival, Canadian spoken word poet Shane Koyczan performed a poem he wrote called “The Crickets Have Arthritis.” This beautiful poem shares the lessons he learned about illness, love, life and grief from his nine year-old roommate … Continue reading

Posted in Something Special | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment


”Waking or asleep, / Thou of death must deem / Things more true and deep / Than we mortals dream, / Or how could thy notes flow in such a crystal stream?”

–Percy Bysshe Shelley, from "To a Skylark"

Read the full poem here. More from A Right of Passage: Memorial Songs: “Casimir Pulaski Day” by Sufjan Stevens  “So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, so long lives this, and this gives life to thee.”  Memorial … Continue reading

Posted in A Rite of Passage | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment