Feeling Poetic: A Book of Poetry

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Written by the great 13th-century Persian poet, "The Guest House" is a call for acceptance — one that is, unsurprisingly, often invoked in mindfulness circles. Rumi uses the metaphor of a guest house, likening it to the mind. Much like guests in a lodge, thoughts arrive in our head one after another— some making us happy, sad, and even uncomfortable. This poem serves as a reminder to not resist life’s painful thoughts, but to welcome them with warmth and good grace. 7. "from Milk and Honey", by Rupi Kaur However, cognitive neuroscience — and popular wisdom — suggest poetry actually exemplifies an important truth about language and human nature. And, that’s the wrap-up. These are our top 10 poems about emotions published on TUC. Let me know which one tops your list. A poem is first and foremost an expression of emotion. You must engage your feelings when you read a poem, read it loudly. It does a formal dance around the emotions and engages them while also engaging your brain. Emotion on its own is mere sentimentality.

Political activist, poet, and essayist June Jordan is one of the most widely-published Jamaican American writers of her generation. In her ‘Poem for My Love’, the speaker is in absolute spiritual awe of her partner and the way she feels about their transcendent love. 35. "for him" by Rupi Kaur no, it won’t be love at first sight when we meet it’ll be love at first remembrance ‘cause i’ve recognized you in my mother’s eyes when she tells me, marry the type of man you’d want to raise your son to be like.

Movement Song’ by Audre Lorde is about the end of a relationship. While the sorrow felt after the speaker’s heart has been broken is clear, the poem ultimately ends with hope that the pair can both have a new beginning — albeit apart. 39. "Camomile Tea" by Katherine Mansfield We might be fifty, we might be five, So snug, so compact, so wise are we! Under the kitchen-table leg My knee is pressing against his knee. Let’s face it. Sometimes, life can get confusing and hard. In such times, it can be useful to turn to the wisdom of poetry. Poetry has a way of making us feel understood — it can make us feel empowered, hopeful, and remind us why life is worth living. So, in this post we’ve put together a list of the 40 greatest poems about life. From classics like Robert Frost and Rumi to the more contemporary Rupi Kaur, you’re guaranteed to find something that resonates with what you’re feeling. 1. "Risk", by Anaïs Nin

An extremely short poem, D.H Lawrence’s “Full Life” can be entirely quoted in two sentences. While Lawrence may be advocating a nonchalant, unbothered approach to life (as clearly reflected in the poem’s length), the paradoxical nature of the poem’s very existence often leaves readers wondering what the poet really means. 20. "What Is This Life", by Sir Walter Raleigh Love is a battlefield” is a metaphor that equates a broad, thematic idea (love) with something we all have at least a basic understanding of (a battlefield). It shows us that there are aspects in each that are also present in the other. However, when it comes to the mainstream, poetry has long been hiding in plain sight. Gorman’s spoken-word performances, which have been compared to hip hop, drew attention to poetry in music lyrics. But poetry is also visible in movies and on TV. This can be particularly effective in a narrative poem, or a poetic form that acts like a short story. 4. AssonanceWe can control almost any actions or thoughts that come into our life each day, the one thing we can never keep totally in line, is when our emotions come out to play. A longing for genuine, passionate, all-encompassing love is the central theme of Sara Tesdale’s ‘I Am Not Yours’. The speaker doesn’t feel any sense of belonging in her current relationship, and wants to find a partner who makes her feel lost in their love. 59. "Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson Now sleeps the crimson petal, now the white; Nor waves the cypress in the palace walk; Nor winks the gold fin in the porphyry font. The firefly wakens; waken thou with me. In ‘Heart to Heart’, Rita Dove rejects the typical clichés that come with falling in love. With her down-to-earth approach to the topic, she assures the intended reader that although she may struggle to show her love, that doesn’t mean it’s not there. 25. "Love" by Carol Ann Duffy you’re where I stand, hearing the sea, crazy for the shore, seeing the moon ache and fret for the earth. When morning comes, the sun, ardent, covers the trees in gold, you walk One of the most fascinating things about love is that it can come in so many different forms — platonic, passionate, or even patronizing. Margaret Atwood unflinchingly lays out some of these in her poem ‘Variations on the Word Love’. 5. "The More Loving One" by W.H. Auden Were all stars to disappear or die, I should learn to look at an empty sky And feel its total dark sublime, Though this might take me a little time.