Gift Category: Share Poetry With Me
My 3 Favorite Poems
I don't read a lot of poetry, but the three poems that are important to me are VERY important to me. Putting them here, in progression of both length (longer -> shorter) and publishing date (1939, 1947, 2016) has me thinking about the myrid of ways in which they connect, share themes, share a thruline, and relate to current-day events and feelings.
1. September 1, 1939
by W. H. Auden
Read here on poets.org You've probably seen me quote a specific line from this poem in many of my zines:
There is no such thing as the State
And no one exists alone;
Hunger allows no choice
To the citizen or the police;
We must love one another or die.
This passage really resonates with me, as we keep watching capitalism and colonialism eat away at the beautiful and precious parts of the world. But the entire lengthy poem is rich with a really poignient sense of frustration and woe about WWII that feels devastatingly applicable to today.
2. Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
by Dylan Thomas
This is a poem that carries a huge weight within its title alone. It's a more abstract and visual poem than Auden's, and it's in a specific and complex poem format called a villanelle. I tried to write a villanelle in high school and it is VERY hard to write one that doesn't sound really silly. This one is fascinating in how well the format is executed, and how clear the message is. I think about this a lot when I'm telling myself "we need to keep fighting, we need to keep fighting."
3. The Tiger is Out
by Nael, Age 6
You probably know this one, and I probably don't need to say anything about it. But this is the third poem in my life that I've kept returning to and pulling strength from, so I think that's interesting. Here's the image of the poem you might be familiar with, if you wanted it.
