Best Poems for College Students To Read and Analyze
With the rising popularity of spoken word poetry and modern poets like Rupi Kapur and Lang Leav and Instagram poets like Atticus, it is appropriate to say that poetry is making a comeback—rising from the ashes, if we consider its long sleep in the previous decades. More and more college students are dipping their toes into the ocean of poetry. Yes, there is an ocean of poetry—it is only the oldest literary form, after all. There is more than enough to read and explore for a lifetime and another.
If you are a budding poetry buff looking to establish your knowledge and taste in poetry, here are the best poems for college students. These are deemed the best poems for college students as they have helped cultivate older generations of college students’ love for poetry. These are poems that tackle universal themes and experiences of college students, while some simply play on language. We also added some poems tackling contemporary issues that are bound to be classics in a few years.
Poems about life
These are some of the most famous poems about life. College life can be a confusing and trying time for many. The existential dread comes down in the most inopportune times—the night before the deadline of a paper or during finals week —and is carried over to the next months. Poets have also wrestled with existential dread, some even came out with life lessons.
To Those of You Alive in the Future by Dean Young
Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note by Amiri Baraka
Starfish by Eleanor Lerman
The Rolling Saint by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Making a Fist by Naomi Shihab Nye
To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time by Robert Herrick
Dust by Dorianne Laux
Poems about hope
The best professors embolden their students to look at every thing that is happening in the world around them. It is an overwhelming endeavor, and it risks killing the idealistic fire inside every student, but it is necessary. For times when hopelessness abounds, get inspiration from these poets.
The Journey by Mary Oliver
Making Peace by Denise Levertov
When I Have Fears that I May Cease to Be by John Keats
Work Without Hope by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
A Dream Within A Dream by Edgar Allan Poe
Song of Myself by Walt Whitman
Do not go gentle into that good night by Dylan Thomas
Social justice poems
Politics affects everyone. If you ask these poets, it is everyone’s duty to be aware of what is happening in their country and in the world, and to try and change it. History and politics are intertwined, and together they shaped the present we live in. College students can benefit from reading about the experiences of people who lived through the history they only read about in class. Although, unfortunately, many will likely forget the specific historical events, these social justice poems can provide a perspective that will leave a lasting imprint on anyone.
A Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes
The Second Coming by William Butler Yeats
The Diameter of the Bomb by Yehuda Amichai
Who Said It Was Simple by Audre Lorde
America by Allen Ginsberg
10-Year-Old Shot Three Times, But She’s Fine by Patricia Smith
Feminist poetry
The women’s movement has been ongoing even before the first wave of the feminist movement. The fight for equality among sexes continues to this day, and has even expanded to include the fight of all minorities. It is worth a while to listen to the voices of some of the pioneers of the women’s movement, as well as to the voices of those who continue the fight, such as poems by Maya Angelou and Audre Lorde.
No, Thank You, John by Christina Rossetti
Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (poems by Maya Angelou)
Diving into the wreck by Adrienne Rich
Loose Woman by Sandra Cisneros
For Women Who Are Difficult to Love by Warsan Shire
A Litany for Survival by Audre Lorde
Love poems
The college experience is not quite complete without falling in love and a few heartaches. Fall in love with these poets—you might even find a poem to read to your date—or soothe a broken heart.
First Memory by Louise Glück
Tonight I Can Write the Saddest Lines by Pablo Neruda
Having a Coke With You by Frank O’Hara
This is Just to Say by William Carlos Williams
You are tired, (I think) by E. E. Cummings
Movement Song by Audre Lorde
Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot
Postcard from the Heartbreak Hotel by John Brehm
These poems are truly wonderful to read for pleasure. Explore worlds and language. Maybe you might even be inspired to write a poem of your own or analyze one (even if it is for class). Reading poetry is not just for pleasure. It can even improve your writing style without you noticing and help you get A+ essays. So, keep reading!
Ghostwriting services for college students
In the face of the youth's inundation by mundane things not concerned with literature, modern poets who use Instagram and other social media platforms are indicative that things are looking up for the arts. It is these young artists whose works indirectly urge today's youths to read poetry in the age of hashtag and digital stories. These youngsters should be delighted as here is a wealth of literature indeed; the aforementioned poems are only the tip of the iceberg.
With passion, time, and skill, writing poems can be a very good outlet, a meaningful exercise for your mind and vocabulary. Today, evidenced by the advent of social media poets, it is clear that technology, despite its many distractions, can be an instrument in shaping the young minds and direct to the beauty that is the arts. However, this does not controvert the sad truth that students today hardly have time due to overwhelming academic workload on top of the tons of writing that they are required to produce, making it hard for them to hone their writing skills and to a certain extent, lead healthier and productive college lives. CustomEssayMeister recognizes this trend and offers custom essay services, custom research paper writing services, custom term paper writing, and yes, even custom poem writing. All kinds of academic papers (essays, research papers, presentations, term papers, theses, dissertations) across all fields and academic levels, our experts at CustomEssayMeister can write them. If you have any questions, send us a message. If that essay or poem can no longer wait, feel free to place an order. We are more than glad to give academic help.