Feature Writer: 
Poetry fascinates readers for many reasons, from its unique language use to the varied subjects that poets have dramatized down through the centuries.
The Ancients, including Homer and Vergil, captivated audiences with their ability to spin a memorable yarn. Ancient Indian epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, were so easily memorized that it was centuries before anyone wrote them down.
From the Ancients to Middle Eastern and Western Eurpoean bards to early Americans like Phillis Wheatley, Emily Dickinson, and Walt Whitman to the most contemporary poets such as recent poets laureate, Louise Glück, Ted Kooser, Charles Simic, and currently Kay Ryan, the journey through poetry remains a colorful and enticing one.
Thank you for visiting. I welcome questions, comments, and/or suggestions.
In: American Poetry
Richard Wilbur's poem, "Mind," consists of three riming quatrains that compare the human mind to a bat flying through darkness in a cavern. more...
In: American Poetry
Mary Oliver's "Reckless Poem" features the theme of self-awareness, dramatizing the act of intuitive knowledge superseding supposedly empirical evidence. more...
In: British Poetry
In six quatrains, Blake presents a speaker who dramatizes the pathetic plight of children forced to labor in squalid conditions in London during the 18th century. more...
In: British Poetry
The two lovers exchange locks of hair, and the speaker makes a ceremony of the exchange as she again emphasizes the royalty of her lover's station and talent. more...
In: American Poetry
Robert Hayden's speaker from another planet is an alien being who has come to Earth, particularly to the United States of America, to study the inhabitants. more...
In: British Poetry
Auden's "Canzone" features five duodectains and a final cinquain. The speaker expounds poetically yet philosophically about the vicissitudes of the human condition. more...
In: British Poetry
The speaker gives a lock of her hair to her belovèd as she dramatizes and philosophizes about the significance of the gift. more...
In: British Poetry
In this nonsensical portrayal, William Blake's symbolism fails to achieve the desired result of castigating a religion for its sage guidance regarding self-control. more...
All feature articles in Poetry
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Joseph Brodsky's "A Polar Explorer"
In: American Poetry
By: Matthew Birdsall
W.H. Auden's Speaker in Musée Des Beaux Arts
In: Poetry (general)
By: Jim Benz
A Dying Emperor's Unsolved Mystery
In: Poetry (general)
By: Duncan McGibbon
W.B Yeats' Poem "The Folly of Being Comforted"
In: British Poetry
By: Lucille Lever
Donald Hall Chronicle of Causality
In: American Poetry
By: Matthew Birdsall
All contributing articles in Poetry