"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening", by Robert Frost The poem serves as an understated call to action - make the change now, no matter how scary. "Risk", by Anaïs NinĪ single sentence broken up into 8 small lines, Anaïs Nin’s “Risk” uses a flower as a metaphor, to remind us that there will come a day when the pain of complacency will exceed the pain of actually daring to make a change. 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. So, in this post we’ve put together a list of the 40 greatest poems about life. Poetry has a way of making us feel understood - it can make us feel empowered, hopeful, and remind us why life is worth living. In such times, it can be useful to turn to the wisdom of poetry. Sometimes, life can get confusing and hard. This poem acts as a symbol of all the good that simply never makes the literary cut.40 Transformative Poems About Life Everyone Should Know There is a common tendency to erase positivity when discussing the black experience, particularly in Africa. “Isn’t it funny? / that when they ask about black childhood / all they are interested in is our pain / as if the joy-parts were accidental,” she writes. The refreshing text makes a point to change the narrative of an African childhood, which is too often associated with pain, struggle and suffering as Putuma focuses on describing a time of peace, playfulness and family. Elhassan offers an alternative take on the black experience as she highlights the role of race within an Arab-Muslim culture and how the two have shaped her: “I come from two tribes / and two countries / a single foot in both worlds.” ‘Black Joy’ by Koleka Putuma (2015)Ĭontemporary South African poet Koleka Putuma lovingly recounts memories of happiness and childhood innocence in her poem Black Joy, published in the Sol Plaatje European Union Poetry Anthology (Vol.6) in 2017. “Sometimes I imagine / a Sudan that isn’t broken / not without a south / doesn’t look shattered by two miles” she writes, referring to the racially charged civil conflict between the north and south. In it, she addresses anti-blackness within the Arab community and a divided nation in which she finds herself in the middle. ‘Reclaiming The Tribe in Seven Accounts’ by Dalia Elhassan (2019)Įmerging Sudanese-American poet Dalia Elhassan confronts her heritage and explores the complex layers of Afro-Arab identity in the modern poem Reclaiming the Tribe in Seven Accounts from her debut poetry collection, In Half Light. The poem is a stark reminder of perseverance and the ability of black people to rise above pain and hardship with elegance and grace. As relevant today as it was in 1978, Angelou’s words are a sublime portrayal of unapologetic blackness. Quoted in books, movies and music, it spotlights the strength, resilience and poise that black communities have consistently displayed in the face of oppression, prejudice and discrimination for hundreds of years. He calls on them to take control of their identity by highlighting the swirling colours, vibrant music and affluent culture ingrained in the island’s community.Ī timeless literary classic, Maya Angelou’s Still I Rise is one of the most famous poems in the world. As a result, Salkey decides to write himself into history - ‘I done wit’ you / I into history, now’ - and urges his fellow Jamaicans to do the same instead of waiting for the permission of the oppressor. The renowned Jamaican poet expresses his frustration at the lack of knowledge his people have of their heritage due to colonial rule - a common struggle among some black African and Caribbean diaspora around the world. Reworked in 1973, it is inspired by the colonisation of Jamaica and the island’s struggle for freedom. This classic poem won Andrew Salkey the Thomas Helmore Poetry Prize in 1955. ‘Jamaica’ (formerly Jamaica Symphony) by Andrew Salkey (1973) Like coal, it is an essential fuel from earth for civilisation. But through growth, she came to the realisation that there is a sense of power in blackness. Growing up in Harlem’s West Indian community in the late ’30s, Lorde experienced the struggles faced by black Americans from infancy. “The total black, being spoken / from the earth’s inside” she calls it, which at the end of the poem becomes a “jewel”. She uses metaphoric language to portray the power of her black essence through her description of coal, a staple fuel produced by earth. One of Lorde’s most anthologised classics, Coal sees the iconic poet assert and celebrate her blackness by exploring her own relationship with society as a self-described “black lesbian feminist poet”.
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