Poems I’ve Read Recently That You Should Too

Hello everyone!

Today I’m going to be sharing some poems I’ve recently read and enjoyed. All of them are works I’ve discussed in my writing workshop last week, since that’s what I’ve been doing this entire week. It’s been an amazing experience and you can definitely expect a whole separate post on that sometime soon. If you’re interested in reading some awesome poems and possibly discovering new poets, keep on reading!

Fast Gas by Dorianne Laux – An interesting twist on a love poem, and one you need to read at least twice to get the full effect.
Wife by Ada Limón – Another love poem. This one’s powerful but a little heavier in terms of the feelings surrounding the love.
Gold by Donald Hall – I absolutely love the images in the very beginning of this poem. It’s a short one, and another love poem (I took a mini-class on love poems so that’s why there’s a few to start this off)
If I Should Die Tomorrow, Please Note That I Will Miss the Particular by Chen Chen – This has a stronger tinge of sadness, but overall still a heartwarming love poem. It has a lot more concrete details.
What Kind of Times Are These by Adrienne Rich – This took me quite a few reads and other people’s perspectives in discussion to fully unpack. I’m still not the best at interpreting poetry, but this poem is still beautiful and definitely worth a read.
A Louder Thing by Tiana Clark – An important read. Clear and cuts straight to the point, but still has surprising metaphors.
Curly, My Tangler by Jessica Jacobs – This is a super sweet poem and I absolutely love the imagery.
Failing and Flying by Jack Gilbert – I love the way this poem flows. It intertwines the speaker’s personal story with the myth of Icarus and shifts our perspective on Icarus’ downfall.
Feet by Ross Gay – The momentum in this poem is so interesting. From beginning to end there’s so many different emotions and ideas presented.
Autobiography of Eve by Ansel Elkins – This offers such a powerful, feminist twist of the story of Eve in persona. I loved it, and it’s short and sweet as well.
How Can Black People Write About Flowers At a Time Like This by Hanif Abdurraqib – This is super relevant to the times, and I love how the author takes the image of flowers and uses them in an unexpected way.
Infinity Ghazal Beginning with Lice and Never Ending With Lies – by Tarfia Faizullah – I didn’t know what a ghazal was before reading this poem, but it’s a really interesting type of poem and this one is so intriguing and beautiful. I’ve read it quite a few times since.
not an elegy for Mike Brown by Danez Smith – The references to Greek mythology in this piece is quite unexpected, and overall it has an important message that’s stated quite eloquently and beautifully.

I hope you’re inspired to check out some of these poems! It’s been such an amazing experience to take part in a writing workshop and get exposed to so many different authors and types of poetry. Please let me know if you have any favorite poets or poems you think I should check out. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke