Walking Away: A Poem by Cecil Day-Lewis

A recollection of the emotions felt when a child starts at…

The Kray Sisters: A Poem by Carol Ann Duffy

One of her “The World’s Wife” poems

He Never Expected Much: A Poem by Thomas Hardy

In this late poem, the poet explains his stoical attitude to life

He Never Expected Much was written during Thomas Hardy’s last years, having the alternative title of A…

Little Red Cap: A Poem by Carol Ann Duffy

Substitute “riding hood” for “cap” and you can begin to work out what Duffy is up to here

“Little Red Cap” is the opening poem of Carol Ann Duffy’s 1999 collection “The…

Flag: A Poem by John Agard

A simple poem that questions the myths of patriotism

John Agard was born in 1949 in what is now Guyana, but at the time was part of the British Empire as British Guiana. It is on the north coast of South America (between…

The Choirmaster’s Burial: A Poem by Thomas Hardy

The poet tells of a family incident from shortly…

First Day At School: A Poem by Roger McGough

The poet gets inside the mind of a very young child in a brand-new environment

Roger McGough (born in November 1937) is one of the most popular British poets to have emerged…

Weathers: A Poem by Thomas Hardy

An apparently simple poem about the seasons that may be saying much more than first appears

“Weathers” was first published in Good Housekeeping magazine in May 1922 and collected in…

Toads Revisited: A Poem by Philip Larkin

The poet revisits an old idea but reaches different…

The Draft Horse: A Poem by Robert Frost

An outwardly simple poem that is awash with symbolism

In “The Draft Horse”, Robert Frost offers the reader a seemingly simple story of a violent event that takes place during a journey made by a…