Famous Short Poems

Published: June 2018

Examples of short famous poems by famous poets such as Langston Hughes, Robert Frost, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Sara Teasdale. Short Funny poems by famous poets such as Ogden Nash and Shel Silverstein and short poems for children by famous poets including A. A. Milne and Christina Rossetti.

The shorter the poem, the more difficult it is to write. Every word must be exactly what you intend to say. There is no time for long winded explanations. Often it may take longer to write a short poem. You are more likely to write it and revise it many times before you feel that each word is perfect and perfectly placed. This may be analogous to a small family or group. There are not many people so each one much show up. Each one must do their part to create a loving family unit or group of friends. Every family member or friend must play their role to perfection

29 Famous Short Poems - Examples Of Short Poems By Famous Poets

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1. Dreams
- By Langston Hughes
in Famous Inspirational Poems

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.
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I so get it. Dreams are hope to a lot of us. I've heard it said that before you get it you have to dream it. I think when we stop dreaming we stop reaching, and when we stop reaching we stop...

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2. Hug O' War
- By Shel Silverstein
in Famous Friendship Poems

I will not play at tug o' war.
I'd rather play at hug o' war,
Where everyone hugs
Instead of tugs,

I will not play at tug o' war.
I'd rather play at hug o' war,
Where everyone hugs
Instead of tugs,
Where everyone giggles
And rolls on the rug,
Where everyone kisses,
And everyone grins,
And everyone cuddles,
And everyone wins
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Thanks for the simple but profound poem. I am a bus driver and I strive to be the open heart and guide for my children who ride with me. It is not always easy to hear what they have to say or...

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3. Nothing Gold Can Stay
- By Robert Frost
in Famous Nature Poems

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
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4. If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking
- By Emily Dickinson
in Famous Inspirational Poems

If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,

If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.
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The poem transmits the meaning of helping from the heart, reaching out to those in need and soothing the pain felt by others. It doesn't need a hero to work wonders, only need a heart to...

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5. Harlem
- By Langston Hughes
in Famous Poems

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?
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A wonderful poem by Langston Hughes, some dreams drift off with the morning mist, others come through if one persists.....

A dream differed is a dream put on hold
until the time comes for...

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6. Underface
- By Shel Silverstein
in Famous Children Poems

Underneath my outside face
There's a face that none can see.
A little less smiley,
A little less sure,

Underneath my outside face
There's a face that none can see.
A little less smiley,
A little less sure,
But a whole lot more like me
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What a perfect poem! At times we could basically tell how people were feeling despite their facial expressions. It was in their eyes the tell- tale signs that led us to see at least the...

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7. Listen To The MUSTN'TS
- By Shel Silverstein
in Famous Children Poems

Listen to the MUSTN'TS, child,
Listen to the DON'TS
Listen to the SHOULDN'TS
The IMPOSSIBLES, the WONT'S

Listen to the MUSTN'TS, child,
Listen to the DON'TS
Listen to the SHOULDN'TS
The IMPOSSIBLES, the WONT'S
Listen to the NEVER HAVES
Then listen close to me-
Anything can happen, child,
ANYTHING can be
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I love this poem because I have been writing love letters to my two teenagers and eight year old for fifteen years reminding them of what they shouldn't.

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8. I Shall Not Care
- By Sara Teasdale
in Famous Sad Love Poems

When I am dead and over me bright April
Shakes out her rain-drenched hair,
Tho' you should lean above me broken-hearted,
I shall not care.

When I am dead and over me bright April
Shakes out her rain-drenched hair,
Tho' you should lean above me broken-hearted,
I shall not care.

I shall have peace, as leafy trees are peaceful
When rain bends down the bough,
And I shall be more silent and cold-hearted
Than you are now.
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The poem "I Shall Not Care" by Sara Teasdale is beautifully written tho' it does cause the reader to wonder what pain and hurt she was going through at the time of writing, the thought...

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9. Fire And Ice
- By Robert Frost
in Famous Sad Poems

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
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Robert Frost is a poet of great repute. It is not within our jurisdiction to comment on such a literary giant. However, in view of your invitation, I would say that he might have been in...

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10. Snowball
- By Shel Silverstein
in Famous Children Poems

I made myself a snowball
As perfect as could be.
I thought I'd keep it as a pet
And let it sleep with me.

I made myself a snowball
As perfect as could be.
I thought I'd keep it as a pet
And let it sleep with me.
I made it some pajamas
And a pillow for its head.
Then last night it ran away,
But first it wet the bed.
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- Stories 6
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I love the humor, innocence and whimsy of this poem. But there's more here than meets the eye. If you look a bit deeper, you can see how we sometimes don't properly interpret our experiences,...

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11. May
- By Sara Teasdale
in Famous Sad Love Poems

The wind is tossing the lilacs,
The new leaves laugh in the sun,
And the petals fall on the orchard wall,
But for me the spring is done.

The wind is tossing the lilacs,
The new leaves laugh in the sun,
And the petals fall on the orchard wall,
But for me the spring is done.

Beneath the apple blossoms
I go a wintry way,
For love that smiled in April
Is false to me in May.
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12. Always Marry An April Girl
- By Ogden Nash
in Famous Love Poems

Praise the spells and bless the charms,
I found April in my arms.
April golden, April cloudy,
Gracious, cruel, tender, rowdy;

Praise the spells and bless the charms,
I found April in my arms.
April golden, April cloudy,
Gracious, cruel, tender, rowdy;
April soft in flowered languor,
April cold with sudden anger,
Ever changing, ever true --
I love April, I love you.
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I was searching for a short poem that encapsulates the love I have for my wife. When I saw this, I knew. My wife's birthday is in April. The double meaning of marrying an April girl really...

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13. The Kiss
- By Sara Teasdale
in Famous Sad Love Poems

I hoped that he would love me,
And he has kissed my mouth,
But I am like a stricken bird
That cannot reach the south.

I hoped that he would love me,
And he has kissed my mouth,
But I am like a stricken bird
That cannot reach the south.

For though I know he loves me,
To-night my heart is sad;
His kiss was not so wonderful
As all the dreams I had.
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Yes! Been there! It kinda takes away from the romance. It might be best to keep trying to fly south.
Jac Judy A Campbell

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14. Still Here
- By Langston Hughes
in Famous Inspirational Poems

I been scarred and battered.
My hopes the wind done scattered.
Snow has friz me,
Sun has baked me,

I been scarred and battered.
My hopes the wind done scattered.
Snow has friz me,
Sun has baked me,

Looks like between 'em they done
Tried to make me

Stop laughin', stop lovin', stop livin'--
But I don't care!
I'm still here!
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This poem was in a textbook of mine from the sixth grade. As a child, it resonated with me. It inspired me to write poetry. As a child, educated by white folk, I had no idea who Langston...

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15. A Time To Talk
- By Robert Frost
in Famous Friendship Poems

When a friend calls to me from the road
And slows his horse to a meaning walk,
I don't stand still and look around
On all the hills I haven't hoed,

When a friend calls to me from the road
And slows his horse to a meaning walk,
I don't stand still and look around
On all the hills I haven't hoed,
And shout from where I am, 'What is it?'
No, not as there is a time to talk.
I thrust my hoe in the mellow ground,
Blade-end up and five feet tall,
And plod: I go up to the stone wall
For a friendly visit.
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Excellent! The case almost unattended in today's crazily hasty waste of morality and spirituality in favor of modernity! A nice moral lesson for those entrapped in the network of virtual...

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16. Winter Morning Poem
- By Ogden Nash
in Famous Nature Poems

Winter is the king of showmen,
Turning tree stumps into snow men
And houses into birthday cakes
And spreading sugar over lakes.

Winter is the king of showmen,
Turning tree stumps into snow men
And houses into birthday cakes
And spreading sugar over lakes.
Smooth and clean and frosty white,
The world looks good enough to bite.
That's the season to be young,
Catching snowflakes on your tongue!
Snow is snowy when it's snowing.
I'm sorry it's slushy when it's going.
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17. Ebb
- By Edna St. Vincent Millay
in Famous Sad Love Poems

I know what my heart is like
Since your love died:
It is like a hollow ledge
Holding a little pool

I know what my heart is like
Since your love died:
It is like a hollow ledge
Holding a little pool
Left there by the tide,
A little tepid pool,
Drying inward from the edge.
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18. Now We Are Six
- By A. A. Milne
in Famous Children Poems

When I was One,
I had just begun.
When I was Two,
I was nearly new.

When I was One,
I had just begun.
When I was Two,
I was nearly new.
When I was Three
I was hardly me.
When I was Four,
I was not much more.
When I was Five,
I was just alive.
But now I am Six,
I'm as clever as clever,
So I think I'll be six now for ever and ever.
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I was entered into a competition where I had to say a short poem so picked this and kept reading it until I knew it by heart. The day came, I recited it without stumbling, when I had finished...

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19. A Word To Husbands
- By Ogden Nash
in Famous Funny Poems

To keep your marriage brimming
With love in the loving cup,
Whenever you're wrong, admit it;
Whenever you're right, shut up.

To keep your marriage brimming
With love in the loving cup,
Whenever you're wrong, admit it;
Whenever you're right, shut up.
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Interesting. Years ago for our children I made this little rule. They had to periodically repeat it after me.

When you're wrong, admit it.
When you're right, shut up.

I'm an avid...

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20. Fog
- By Carl Sandburg
in Famous Nature Poems

The fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking

The fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

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My dear neighbor, Nellie, who is in her 80s, asked me, as I am an artist, to paint a picture for her to give to her husband for Christmas. She said he loves the poem "Here Comes the Fog" by...

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1 - 20 of 29

Famous Short Poems

29 Famous Short Poems - Examples Of Short Poems By Famous Poets

1. Dreams

2. Hug O' War

3. Nothing Gold Can Stay

4. If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking

5. Harlem

6. Underface

7. Listen To The MUSTN'TS

8. I Shall Not Care

9. Fire And Ice

10. Snowball

11. May

12. Always Marry An April Girl

13. The Kiss

14. Still Here

15. A Time To Talk

16. Winter Morning Poem

17. Ebb

18. Now We Are Six

19. A Word To Husbands

20. Fog