Tag Archives: Poems about Death

“Transfiguration” by Louisa May Alcott

Louisa May Alcott's "Transfiguration" views death as "the true sucess"

As its name suggests, “Transfiguration,” by Louisa May Alcott, is about change, and specifically change for the better. The poem was written about Alcott’s mother after her death, and it’s filled with so much love and admiration that one can’t help … Continue reading

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In A Palliative Care Nursing Home

A cranky old man dies and his legend goes viral.

This is a poem that has gone viral. It’s suppose to be a true story. Either way it’s a poem to share and who can resist a good yarn. An old man died in a palliative care nursing home in … Continue reading

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“Parta Quies” by A.E. Housman

A.E. Housman puts his own unique spin on an old concept

I took an introductory Latin course in college (yes, I am a complete nerd), and was therefore able to recognize the grammar of the phrase “Parta Quies,” an A.E. Housman poem, when I saw it; however, I wasn’t exactly sure … Continue reading

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“Between Going and Coming” by Octavio Paz

Reading Octavio Paz's "Between Going and Coming" as a reaction to death

Octavio Paz received some seriously impressive accolades during his lifetime: he won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1990, the Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 1982, and for a period he held the Charles Eliot Norton Professorship of Poetry … Continue reading

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“Early Death” by Hartley Coleridge

Hartley Coleridge's intentional ambiguity reveals conflicting emotions

Many people know and love the work of Samuel Taylor Coleridge; but what they may not know is that Coleridge had three children who also grew up to be writers. The oldest of these children was Hartley Coleridge, who wrote … Continue reading

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“When Death Comes” by Mary Oliver

The role of realizations in Mary Oliver's "When Death Comes"

They say the best revenge is living well, and in Mary Oliver’s “When Death Comes,” this is exactly the attitude the poet takes—against death itself. Oliver has an antagonistic view of death, comparing it to a “hungry bear in autumn” … Continue reading

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