If you’re looking for a way to present poetry in the classroom, free-verse poems are a great place to start. Unlike standard poetry, you’ll find that free-verse poem examples break rules and don’t have to rhyme or follow any specific meter. Since themes of nature, love, and life are often represented, poems using free-verse provide plenty of opportunities to teach students how to analyze poetry. Check out our list of the best free-verse poems for the classroom below!
(Note: Every classroom is different, so please be sure to review these poems before sharing them with students to ensure they align with your learning environment.)
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Free-Verse Poems for Middle School and High School
1. Follow the Moon by Marie Tully
I followed the moon,
Or did it follow me?
Themes: Curiosity and wonder, perception vs. reality
Literary devices: Personification, imagery, rhetorical questions
This poem is a charming exploration of the quiet comfort of the night sky as the author contemplates the world and its ever-present mysteries.
2. Splishy, Sploshy Mud by Ava F. Kent
Splishy, sploshy mud
is the best type of crud!
Themes: Imagination, creativity, childhood, playfulness
Literary devices: Onomatopoeia, repetition, hyperbole
With its rhythmic and energetic tone, this poem brings out a sense of childlike wonder and creativity. It’s all about the pure, messy fun of exploring nature, embracing the carefree spirit of childhood.
3. Fog by Carl Sandburg
The fog comes
on little cat feet.
Themes: Transience, impermanence, nature’s quiet power
Literary devices: Metaphor, personification, imagery
With gentle yet powerful imagery, this poem using free verse captures the mysterious beauty of nature’s movements in a way that is both whimsical and thought-provoking.
4. Autumn by T.E. Hulme
A touch of cold in the Autumn night …
Themes: Human connection with nature, transition
Literary devices: Personification, simile, imagery
This free verse poem’s warm simplicity creates a quiet, reflective moment, infusing the wonder of a crisp autumn night with human familiarity.
5. The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams
beside the white chickens …
Themes: Simplicity, interconnectedness, minimalism
Literary devices: Imagery, symbolism
This short yet profound poem highlights the beauty and quiet significance of everyday delight.
6. This Is Just To Say by William Carlos Williams
I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox …
Themes: Everyday moments as poetry, sensory experience
Literary devices: Imagery, tone, minimalism
Williams captures an ordinary act of everyday life with humor and honesty.
7. “Hope” is the thing with feathers by Emily Dickinson
That perches in the soul …
Themes: Hope as an enduring force, resilience in adversity
Literary devices: Metaphor, personification, imagery
This poem’s simple yet profound imagery makes it a timeless meditation on the power of the human spirit.
8. This Is a Photograph of Me by Margaret Atwood
It was taken some time ago.
At first it seems to be a smeared print …
Themes: Death and reflection, distortion of reality
Literary devices: Juxtaposition, symbolism, tone
Atwood’s poem cleverly explores perception and disappearance, pulling the reader into mystery of identity and loss.
9. The Layers by Stanley Kunitz
I have walked through many lives,
some of them my own …
Themes: Journey of the self, loss, resilience, acceptance of change
Literary devices: Personification, metaphor, imagery
This meditative poem reflects on identity, loss, and perseverance. It recognizes the past’s impact but focuses on growth, showing that life is always changing and moving forward.
10. Beginning My Studies by Walt Whitman
The first step, I say, aw’d me and pleas’d me so much …
Themes: Wonder at the simple and ordinary, power of the present
Literary devices: Imagery, exclamation
This poem encourages readers to slow down, enjoy the present, and find joy in life’s simple yet profound wonders.
11. Praise Song for the Day by Elizabeth Alexander
Each day we go about our business,
walking past each other, catching each other’s eyes or not …
Themes: Hope, progress, love, unity
Literary devices: Symbolism, imagery, repetition
Written for President Obama’s 2009 inauguration, this poem is a tribute to everyday people, resilience, and hope for the future.
12. Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark by D.A. Powell
I play the egg
and I play the triangle …
Themes: Music and creativity, playfulness, exploration
Literary devices: Repetition, rhyme, anaphora
This playful poem highlights the richness of sound and creativity by listing instruments from different cultures and genres. It uses the literary device of anaphora in repeating the phrase “I play.”
13. After the Sea-Ship by Walt Whitman
Waves, undulating waves, liquid, uneven, emulous waves …
Themes: The power and beauty of nature, adventure, exploration
Literary devices: Imagery, personification, enjambment
This poem captures the excitement of exploration and the endless energy of the ocean.
14. Free Verse Poem by Robert Graves
My rhymes no longer shall stand arrayed
Like Prussian soldiers on parade …
Themes: Self-expression, unconventional thinking, celebrating creativity
Literary devices: Imagery, contrast, enjambment, rhyme
This poem is all about breaking the rules of poetry and writing in a way that feels natural. The playful tone and strong imagery make it a celebration of creativity and individuality.
15. Harlem by Langston Hughes
What happens to a dream deferred?
Themes: Deferred dreams, racial inequality, negative consequences
Literary devices: Simile, imagery, rhetorical questions
This poignant poem contemplates the possible outcomes when people’s dreams are consistently deferred as a result of racial inequality.
16. i carry your heart with me by e.e. cummings
here is the deepest secret nobody knows …
Themes: Love, devotion, deep connection
Literary devices: Metaphor, imagery, repetition, enjambment
In this love poem, e.e. cummings expresses a deep and abiding love and connection using the run-on style of enjambment.
17. The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot
Winter kept us warm, covering,
Earth in forgetful snow, feeding
A little life with dried tubers.
Themes: Decay, death, memories of the past
Literary devices: Allusion, symbolism, imagery
This renowned poem reflects on a world that is lost and broken after the turmoil of World War I.
18. You Took the Last Bus Home by Brian Bilston
i still don’t know how you got it through the door …
Themes: Ambiguity, surprise, humor
Literary devices: Wordplay, brevity, irony, imagery
This short, humorous poem revels in simplicity while delivering a playful twist.
19. Silence by Thomas Hood
There is a silence where no sound may be …
Themes: Absence, emptiness, profound nature of silence
Literary devices: Contrast, imagery, personification
This poem invites readers to think about different kinds of silence and realize that silence can have value, depth, and meaning.
20. The Pool by H.D.
Are you alive?
I touch you.
Themes: Curiosity, nature, discovery
Literary devices: Metaphor, imagery, questioning
This poem demonstrates how grappling with nature can be both fascinating and puzzling and prompts us to explore and question the world around us.
21. In a Station of the Metro by Ezra Pound
The apparition of these faces in the crowd:
Petals on a wet, black bough.
Themes: Fleeting moments, the beauty of everyday moments
Literary devices: Imagery, metaphor, juxtaposition
This short poem depicts a brief glimpse of people’s faces in a busy place that reminds the author of petals on a wet tree branch.
22. The Snow Man by Wallace Stevens
Of the pine trees crusted with snow …
Themes: Perception and reality
Literary devices: Imagery, enjambment
In this poem, Stevens delves into the concept of observing things for what they are, without imposing human feelings and labels.
23. Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies …
Themes: Pride, confidence, hope
Literary devices: Repetition, simile, metaphor
A powerful anthem celebrating strength and resilience, Angelou’s poem is full of positivity and confidence.
24. Risk by Anais Nin
And then the day came …
Themes: Growth and transformation, courage
Literary devices: Symbolism, imagery, contrast
This short, powerful poem confirms that staying safe may feel comfortable, but real happiness and growth come from taking risks.
25. Praise the Rain by Joy Harjo
The stand of trees, the dignity …
Themes: Connection to nature, gratitude, resilience
Literary devices: Free verse, symbolism, anaphora, repetition
Harjo implores readers to be grateful in all things, even difficult moments that can create wisdom and renewal.
26. Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden
Sundays too my father got up early …
Themes: A father’s love and sacrifice for his family
Literary devices: Personification, symbolism, enjambment
A poem about looking back and appreciating all the little things we have taken for granted.
27. Hurry by Marie Howe
We stop at the dry cleaners and the grocery store …
Themes: Slowing down, appreciating the present, fleeting nature of childhood
Literary devices: Contrast, imagery, repetition
A mother taking her small daughter on errands impatiently hurries her daughter, then catches herself as she realizes sweet moments are lost when we rush through life.
28. The Promise by Jane Hirshfield
Stay, I said to the spider …
Themes: Impermanence, control vs. letting go
Literary devices: Metaphor, personification, imagery
This poem observes how things naturally change over time, even when we try to hold on to them.
29. Theories of Time and Space by Natasha Trethewey
Everywhere you will be somewhere …
Themes: Change, impermanence, memory and reflection
Literary devices: Second-person perspective, enjambment, symbolism
The poem reminds us that no matter where we go, time moves along, and we are always changing too.
30. Coal by Audre Lorde
Some words are open
Like a diamond on glass windows …
Themes: Race and strength, freedom, expressing your voice
Literary devices: Metaphor, imagery, contrast, simile
This poem points out how pressure and struggle can create something valuable, like coal turning into a diamond.
31. Cousin Nancy by T.S. Eliot
Upon the glazen shelves kept watch …
Themes: Individuality, challenging the status quo, progress
Literary devices: Irony, allusion, tone
This poem is recognition of not fitting into traditional expectations and the discomfort that may bring to other people.
32. I, Too by Langston Hughes
I, too, sing America.
Themes: Racial equality, resilience and strength, overcoming injustice
Literary devices: Repetition, tone shift, metaphor
This is a powerful poem about equality and hope for the future. It encourages us to believe in justice and advocate for a better future for all.
33. Wild Geese by Mary Oliver
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Themes: Self-love, belonging, finding peace
Literary devices: Second-person perspective, enjambment, mood
This gentle poem is a reassuring piece of advice encouraging people to embrace themselves just as they are.
34. Piano by D.H. Lawrence
Softly, in the dusk, a woman is singing to me …
Themes: Nostalgia, childhood memories, loss and longing
Literary devices: Imagery, personification, metaphor
A sweet childhood memory triggers a longing for childhood and lost innocence.
35. Sometimes Mysteriously by Luis Omar Salinas
Sometimes in the evening when love
tunes its harp and the crickets …
Themes: Loneliness, connection, search for meaning
Literary devices: Simile, metaphor, enjambment
The poem teaches us that even when we feel alone, expressing ourselves creatively can bring comfort and make us feel whole again.
36. Distant Light by Walid Khazindar
Sing! Can we not sing
as if we were warm, hand-in-hand …
Themes: Time and memory, exile and displacement
Literary devices: Imagery, enjambment, symbolism
This poem’s imagery evokes a sense of searching, as in for a lost homeland or a personal sense of belonging, and reminds us of the enduring power of hope amid uncertainty.
37. Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold
The tide is full, the moon lies fair …
Themes: Change and uncertainty, love as a stabilizing force
Literary devices: Allusion, personification, tone
This poem reminds us that even when things seem uncertain, love and human connection can be a source of strength.
38. [in Just-] by e.e. cummings
luscious the little
lame balloonman …
Themes: Childhood innocence, happiness of youth, cycle of life
Literary devices: Unconventional grammar, alliteration, enjambment
This poem uses delightful wordplay to describe the joy of springtime and alludes to the fleeting nature of childhood.
39. somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond by e.e. cummings
in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me …
Themes: Mystery of love, vulnerability, emotion
Literary devices: Imagery, personification, unconventional grammar, symbolism, enjambment
In this poem, Cummings describes a deep and abiding connection to his beloved using his typical style of capitalization and enjambment.
40. Atlas by Terisa Siagatonu
If you open up any atlas
and take a look at a map of the world …
Themes: Climate change, environmental justice, colonialism, cultural erasure
Literary devices: Juxtaposition, symbolism, personification
The author reveals her deep connection to her Samoan roots and the ways the world has marginalized her culture.
41. My Cat Jeoffry by Christopher Smart
For in his morning orisons he loves the sun and the sun loves him.
For he is the tribe of Tiger.
Themes: Religious devotion, the purity of animals
Literary devices: Alliteration, tone, personification
The poet sees joy, wonder, meaning, and a connection to the divine, expressed through his pet cat.
42. A Different Kind of Hero by Heather Griffith
A hero to me is not just a person who died for their country
or went inside a burning building or stuff like that.
Themes: Compassion, kindness, quiet bravery, heroism
Literary devices: Imagery, contrast, repetition
Sometimes a hero isn’t the strongest, fastest, or most powerful. Sometimes they are the person who shows simple kindness, courage, and compassion when it’s needed the most.
43. Who Am I? by Natasha L. Bishop
I am a roller coaster of emotions.
I am a hater of ignorant people, liars …
Themes: Identity, individuality, emotional complexity
Literary devices: Imagery, contrast, rhetorical questions
This poem affirms that a person’s value is more than their appearance or what others think of them—it lies in their thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
44. Whenever You Say I Love You by Kate B.
My stomach does somersaults …
Themes: Sincerity, honesty, unspoken feelings
Literary devices: Metaphor, imagery, simile, anaphora
What does it really mean when someone says “I love you”? The poet describes feelings of love using simile (heart flutters like a butterfly), anaphora (My knees, My stomach, My mind), and more.
45. Mother to Son by Langston Hughes
Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
Themes: Determination, self-actualization, encouragement
Literary devices: Dialect, repetition, imagery, metaphor
This poem is a love letter from a mother to her son, encouraging him to embrace perseverance, resilience, and hope.
46. Theme in Yellow by Carl Sandburg
Singing ghost songs …
Themes: Seasons, celebration, nature’s role in traditions
Literary devices: Personification, metaphor, symbolism
Told in the voice of a pumpkin, this whimsical poem describes the happiness and fun of the Halloween season.
47. White-Eyes by Mary Oliver
In winter
all the singing is in
the tops of the trees
where the wind-bird …
Themes: Respect for the natural word, beauty in harshness
Literary devices: Personification, tone, imagery
This poem is a gentle reflection about how nature can be both wild and awe-inspiring.
48. Shoulders by Naomi Shihab Nye
A man crosses the street in rain,
stepping gently, looking two times north and south …
Themes: Human connection, compassion, responsibility
Literary devices: Tone, imagery, symbolism
This poem uses a father’s loving care for his son to remind us that kindness, love, and protection are essential for a better world.
49. Saccharine Words by Danna Smith
Honey is scarce these days,
the bees are feeling the sting …
Themes: Authenticity, wisdom, environmental awareness
Literary devices: Metaphor, personification, contrast
This short poem reflects on the advice of the author’s grandfather to “put honey in your mouth before speaking,” suggesting that sweet words can prevent anger.
50. It is True. (What is True?) by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater
I found you! I found you!
Themes: Poetry, recognition, connection
Literary devices: Personification, imagery
This poem is about the author’s delight about finding something she didn’t even knew she needed.
51. My Mistake by Bob Welbaum
I never make mistakes,
I’m quite meticulous.
Themes: Humor, human imperfection, self-perception
Literary devices: Euphemism, irony, rhyming scheme
This clever poem encourages readers to reflect on how they handle their own mistakes and the importance of honesty in acknowledging them.
52. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot
Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky …
Themes: Indecision and self-doubt, fear of rejection
Literary devices: Allusion, dramatic monologue, simile
This poem is an exploration of an older man’s internal struggle with aging, self-doubt, and missed opportunities.
53. Song of Myself by Walt Whitman
I celebrate myself, and sing myself.
Themes: Spirituality and the soul, individuality, self-expression
Literary devices: Alliteration, repetition, imagery
This poem is a joyful and bold celebration of life, nature, and human connection.
54. Howl by Allen Ginsberg
I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked …
Themes: Rebellion, critique of capitalism, suffering
Literary devices: Allusion, enjambment, anaphora
This poem is a bold political rant against capitalism, war, and politics and their contribution to the destruction of individuality and free choice.
55. A Noiseless Patient Spider by Walt Whitman
A noiseless patient spider,
I mark’d where on a little promontory it stood isolated …
Themes: Loneliness and the search for connection, perseverance, determination
Literary devices: Metaphor, alliteration, imagery
This poem is a short but thoughtful comparison of a tiny spider spinning its web to the search of the human soul for meaning.
56. The Dying Lover by Gustave Kahn
So long as the child preferred to me such and such a
player of the flute or singer to the zither …
Themes: Love and longing, unrequited love
Literary devices: Symbolism, imagery, tone
This poem expresses the despair of one whose love is not returned, equating the loss with that of dying.
57. The Garden by Andrew Marvell
How vainly men themselves amaze
To win the palm, the oak, or bays …
Themes: Nature’s peace and beauty, solitude, reflection
Literary devices: Metaphor, personification, imagery
This gentle poem contrasts the ambition and struggles of the outside world with the calmness and spiritual satisfaction found in nature.
58. Accent by Rupi Kaur
my voice
is the offspring
of two countries colliding …
Themes: Identity and heritage, assimilation, pride
Literary devices: Tone, enjambment, imagery
This poem is an examination of how one’s language can be a beautiful link to one’s heritage and family.
59. Vacation by Rita Dove
I love the hour before takeoff,
that stretch of no time, no home …
Themes: Universality of experience, curiosity, connection
Literary devices: Imagery, enjambment, tone
This poem is an anthem to a common experience: people-watching at the airport.
60. Tulips by Sylvia Plath
The tulips are too excitable, it is winter here.
Themes: Life and death, emotional numbness, illness and recovery
Literary devices: Imagery, contrast, tone
In this poem, the gift of a pot of bright-red tulips given to a patient in the hospital intrudes on their sense of peace and stillness.
61. In the Desert by Stephen Crane
I saw a creature, naked, bestial …
Themes: Internal pain and struggle, acceptance of suffering
Literary devices: Imagery, irony, allegory
This dark poem explores the ideas of human suffering and self-destruction.
62. Mirror by Sylvia Plath
I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions.
Whatever I see I swallow immediately
Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike.
Themes: Truth and reflection, time and aging
Literary devices: Personification, metaphor, imagery, simile
Written from the point of view of a personified mirror, the poem explores the author’s fear of aging and death.
63. Ode to Coffee by Urayoán Noel
from Africa to a Caribbean hill
de África a las lomas del Caribe …
Themes: Cultural fusion, bilingualism, global connection
Literary devices: Metaphor, enjambment
This poem celebrates coffee as a unifying force of cultural fusion, history, and commonality among humans.
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