Summer poems are often nostalgic, yet some wax melancholic, even as they look back on cheerful times. Do you have a favorite summer poem? Please vote in the poll.
So far, the Summer Poem Poll has received no votes. Perhaps the poems are not well known, and therefore folks do not feel they can vote for the unknown—even though in political campaigns they do that all the time!
However, there is plenty of time; I plan to run this poll through July. And dear readers, you can become acquainted with poems by reading the following articles:
- Whittier’s ‘The Barefoot Boy’ John Greenleaf Whittier's "The Barefoot Boy" is reminiscent of Dylan Thomas' "Fern Hill"; both dramatize memories of boyhood. Whittier offers a special nod to summer.
- Frost’s ‘The Oven Bird’ Frost's speaker in "The Oven Bird" explores the same mystery that presents itself in the little eight-line poem, "Nothing Gold Can Stay."
- Dickinson’s Summer In this poem, Dickinson personifies summer as a woman who struggles to overcome the coldness of late spring.
The other two articles about the poems, James Whitcomb Riley’s “The Old Swimmin’ Hole” and Amy Lowell’s “Penumbra,” will be appearing over the next two weeks. Until the articles appear, however, you may experience the poems at the following sites: “The Old Swimmin’-Hole” “Penumbra”
If you would like to suggest other poems that also celebrate summer, please start a discussion and let me and the other readers know which other summer poems are being enjoyed.
Again, your vote in the Summer Poem Poll would be very much appreciated. The poll is located just below the blog on the Poetry home page.
Thank you and have a lovely summer!
