Tag Archives: poems about death and dying

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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“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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