Introduction: The Infinite Canvas of Life in Poetry

Humans across cultures and time have shared similar experiences of joy and sadness, love and heartbreak, and birth and death. Even though all humans have these universal experiences, we all experience these moments in different ways.

Poetry about living lets writers share their deep feelings about life experiences. It also gives readers a chance to see the world through the poet’s perspective. These poems about life help readers experience the poet’s emotions themselves.

Poems about Life and Its Moments

Many poets throughout time have been gifted with the ability to look around and notice the things that make our lives truly beautiful. As Thoreau once said, “Wait a minute, wait a minute. We have to slow down, take a look around us, and not destroy what’s left”. William Carlos Williams, for example, enjoyed writing poems that everyone could enjoy and relate to their own experience, such as his short poem, “This is Just to Say”.

In this poem, Williams recounts a moment where he enjoyed eating someone else’s plums that they were saving in the refrigerator. He illustrates a very common human experience: the choice to consider the needs of others or meet our own desires.

Another example is by Emily Dickinson in her poem, “Success is Counted Sweetest”. In this poem, Dickinson captures the universal human experience of striving for success. All of us want to be successful in one area or another, whether academically, relationally, or financially. In her poem related to life, Dickinson contrasts the sweet feeling of success and triumph with the agonizing emotions of defeat and loss. 

Poem Related to Life’s Many Facets

Many writers have also used the poetic form to highlight different facets of our societies that others might not notice. For example, in Jonathan Swift’s poem, “Market Women’s Cries”, Swift describes three different women attempting to sell their wares to passing customers in the marketplace. This satirical poem jokes about lazy fathers and secret lovers. It even discusses the speaker dying if she doesn’t make enough money. Even though each of these women’s stories have a humorous tone, Swift uses humor to highlight the true struggles of these and many women striving to care for their families. 

Jake Skeets in his poem,  “Learning About Treaties”, also highlights an oft-overlooked story. Skeets uses his own experience to highlight the perspective of a young, Navajo boy learning about Native American treaties. Skeets highlights that this lesson looks nothing like his personal experience or family history. The dry language of the treaty is contrasted with imagery-rich descriptions of Skeet’s personal experience of drinking out of water hoses and “riding black sheep in a lightning storm”. Skeets ends the poem with a harrowing phrase: “everything dried up” to underline the lasting, painful, personal impact of these treaties.

Understanding Life Through Poems about Dying

Another topic with much poetic consideration is mortality. Poems about dying are not necessarily something readers are drawn to immediately, but within these poems is not so much the fear and uncertainty of death, but more so a reflection on what makes our lives so beautiful and an encouragement to appreciate the lives we have.

“Sonnet 73” by William Shakespeare

For example, in his poem, “Sonnet 73”, William Shakespeare compares the season of winter to his eventual passing. He finds beautify in these seasons of life. He compares fallen leaves on the ground to him lying on his own death bed. These reflections lead him to charge the reader to make “thy love more strong, To love that well which thou must leave ere long”. Since death is inevitable for all of us, we should be intentional about loving one another well while we are here on earth.

“Upon a Fit of Sickness” by Anne Bradstreet

Another example of a death poem is Anne Bradstreet’s “Upon a Fit of Sickness”. At nineteen years old, Bradstreet succumbed to a high fever and accepted the possibility that she could die as a result of her illness. Bradstreet willingly accepts her death as part of God’s will, revealing her Puritan-inspired mindset. Her comfort lies in her faith and hope of heaven, and she reflects on the brevity of life compared to her eternity in heaven. 

Elegies and Tributes: Death Poems that Touch the Soul

Oftentimes poets write poems to express the depth of feeling associated with losing a loved one. Walt Whitman captures this emotional response in his elegy to Abraham Lincoln, “O Captain! My Captain!”. In this poem, Whitman captures both his personal and the nationwide response to Lincoln’s sudden death.

Whitman uses triumphant images of crowds of admirers welcoming a captain into the city. Additionally, the word “father” implies the depth of loss felt by Whitman personally following Lincoln’s death. This emotional poem underscores the incredible impact Lincoln had on this country. It also depicts the nation-wide sorrow that was felt for his sudden passing. 

Another example of a not-so-heartfelt elegy is by Jonathan Swift. “A Satirical Elegy on the Death of a Late Famous General” satirizes how people react when a despised leader dies. Others mock his obituary, and no one attends his funeral procession.

This poem also serves as a warning to future leaders that regardless of how much wealth or popularity they gained while in office, they will lose it all in death.

Conclusion: The Poetic Legacy of Life and Death

Whether describing daily life or contemplating human mortality, poetry has an enduring legacy. As readers, poems about life and death can encourage us to appreciate the things and people in our lives as well as educate us on the experiences of others, reminding us that we are not that different from one another after all.