15+ Must-Read Canadian Poems

(15 to start, 40+ to explore)

Canadian poetry encompasses a diverse and vibrant literary tradition that reflects the country’s multicultural heritage, vast landscapes, and complex history. From early Indigenous oral traditions to contemporary works, Canadian poets have explored a wide range of themes, including nature, identity, social justice, and cultural diversity.

Notable Canadian poets such as Margaret Atwood, Leonard Cohen, and E.J. Pratt have made significant contributions to the global literary landscape. Canadian poetry often captures the unique experiences and perspectives of the country.

Poem Explorer Poetry Archives

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Love is Enough

by William Morris

This poem is a small but perfectly formed beauty. William compares love itself to nature in a lilting poem with a tight rhyme scheme that can’t help but inspire the reader’s inner cupid.

William Morris’s 'Love is Enough' stands out for its simplicity and emotional depth compared to Canadian 19th-century poetry, which often includes elaborate imagery and a focus on national identity. The poem’s direct celebration of love’s resilience contrasts with the more complex and sometimes politically charged themes in Canadian works. Its universal message of love’s power over adversity offers a poignant, timeless appeal.

Love is enough: though the World be a-waning,

And the woods have no voice but the voice of complaining,

Though the sky be too dark for dim eyes to discover

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In Flanders Fields

by John McCrae

‘In Flanders Fields’ by John McCrae is a well-known, and much revered, poem concerning the many lived lost in the Flanders area of Belgium during World War I.

McCrae's poem has become one of the best known works by any Canadian poet before or since, even though the poem itself is concerned with events and locations in Belgium. It remains hugely important in Canada and around the world due to its role in remembrance services to commemorate the loss of soldiers around the world.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

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Morning in the Burned House

by Margaret Atwood

Margaret Atwood’s ‘Morning in the Burned House’ is an eerie portrait of a child eating breakfast in the ashes of her burned home. Through the speaker’s perspective, Atwood vividly depicts the thought process of someone grieving a terrible loss.

Margaret Atwood is one of the best-known Canadian poets today. Her style and body of work continue to be influential in both Canadian and American literature and media. This poem is a good, although not incredibly well-known, example of her verse.

In the burned house I am eating breakfast.

You understand: there is no house, there is no breakfast,

yet here I am.

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The City Planners

by Margaret Atwood

‘The City Planners’ by Margaret Atwood is an image-rich poem in which the poet depicts the fundamentally flawed nature of the suburbs.

Margaret Atwood is a celebrated figure in Canadian literature, and 'The City Planners' falls in line with Canadian themes of landscape and identity. It is a really wonderful example of Canadian poetry but doesn't directly address Canadian issues.

Cruising these residential Sunday

streets in dry August sunlight:

what offends us is

the sanities:

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Home Body

by Rupi Kaur

‘Home Body’ reminds us that everything we need for fulfilment already resides within us. Instead of seeking validation or happiness externally, the poem encourages us to look inward.

The poem stands out in Canadian poetry for its relatable, modern themes of self-love and inner peace. While many Canadian poets like Margaret Atwood explore complex themes through layered language, Kaur’s simplicity creates an immediate connection. The poem’s focus on personal growth and embracing one’s body and mind resonates deeply, making it a refreshing shift that speaks directly to today’s audience.

i dive into the well of my body

and end up in another world

everything i need

already exists in me

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Presque Isle

by Louise Glück

‘Presque Isle’ by Louise Glück is a poem that reminisces about important moments in life, using detailed descriptions to bring readers into the narrator’s memories.

'Presque Isle' by Louise Glück is an American poem. Glück, an American poet, writes in English and often reflects themes and settings from American life. The poem captures moments and emotions that can resonate with readers from diverse backgrounds, but it is rooted in American culture and experiences.

Like all images, these were the conditions of a pact:

on your cheek, tremor of sunlight,

my finger pressing your lips.

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Around the Campfire

by Emilie Pinet

Amidst scarlet flames and camaraderie, ‘Around the Campfire’ captures transformative connections. Vivid imagery illuminates rekindled friendships, binding souls in tranquility.

This poem by Emilie Pinet stands out among Canadian poems due to its vivid imagery, capturing the essence of shared human experiences. While acknowledging Pinet's significance, the poem itself shines through its universal themes of camaraderie and transformation. Its descriptive richness and introspective quality distinguish it, showcasing the poet's ability to evoke emotions. In comparing Canadian poems, Pinet's work impresses with its evocative portrayal of nature's role in forging connections.

Rising from the fire like a phoenix,

ash morphs into flights of flaming darts.

And shadows mark the fringes of light,

extinguishing all unwary sparks.

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Earth Voices

by Bliss Carman

‘Earth Voices’ by Bliss Carman is a clever poem that utilizes personification in order to convey the perspective of the sun, the wind, and the rain.

Bliss Carman was a Canadian poet. Carman is recognized as one of the best poets from Canada, often writing about nature and life. His poetry captures the beauty of the Canadian landscape and the natural world. Bliss Carman's work has made a significant impact on Canadian literature.

"I am the master-builder

In whom the ages trust.

I lift the lost perfection

To blossom from the dust."

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Flying Inside Your Own Body

by Margaret Atwood

‘Flying Inside Your Own Body’ by Margaret Atwood speaks on the freedom one can achieve in the dream world, verses the restrictions of reality.

Margaret Atwood is one of the most important contemporary Canadian authors. Her poetry is nearly as well-known as her prose is, and this is one of her best pieces. Her poetry often deals with feminist themes, and this piece is no different.

Your lungs fill & spread themselves,

wings of pink blood, and your bones

empty themselves and become hollow.

#10

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The Swallows

by Charles Sangster

‘The Swallows’ unfolds as a dialogue between the first spring swallow and a speaker who pines for the freedom of a migratory bird.

Sangster was a Canadian poet known for writing poems that display an affectionate reverence for the beauty of the natural world. From its serene splendor to the stunning sights that provoke sincere introspection and reflection, all of it is found embodied in the poet's verse. In addition, his poems often tapped into themes of love and religion as well. This poem leans more toward the poet's appreciation and celebration of nature as a revelation of human experiences and emotions.

I asked the first stray swallow of the spring,
"Where hast thou been through all the winter drear?
Beneath what distant skies did'st fold thy wing,
Since thou wast with us here,

#11

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Half Hanged Mary

by Margaret Atwood

‘Half Hanged Mary’ by Atwood narrates her ancestor Mary Webster’s survival from a witch trial hanging, highlighting her resilience.

Margaret Atwood is from Canada, but 'Half-Hanged Mary' is based on a real event in Massachusetts, USA, during the 1600s. It is connected to the time when people feared witchcraft and accused women with no proof. The poem reminds us of how independent women were often seen as dangerous and punished for simply being different from what society expected.

Rumour was loose in the air

hunting for some neck to land on.

I was milking the cow,

the barn door open to the sunset

#12

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How Did You Die?

by Edmund Vance Cooke

‘How Did You Die?’ by Edmund Vance Cooke is a rhyming poem that tries to impart an idealized view of perseverance in life.

A memorable and inspiring poem from a talented Canadian poet.

Did you tackle that trouble that came your way

With a resolute heart and cheerful?

Or hide your face from the light of day

With a craven soul and fearful?

#13

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Eating Poetry

by Mark Strand

‘Eating Poetry’ by Strand depicts the transformative joy of consuming art, turning a man into a dog in a surreal narrative.

Mark Strand was born in Canada but later became an American citizen, so his work is often seen as part of American literature. ‘Eating Poetry’ doesn’t take place in a specific country, but the library setting is familiar to people everywhere. The poem is less about location and more about the feeling of being completely in love with something, in this case, poetry.

Ink runs from the corners of my mouth.

There is no happiness like mine.

I have been eating poetry.

#14

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Bunnies

by Ena Hawken

‘Bunnies’ by Ena Hawken is a light-hearted poem zooming in on one natural trait of rabbits. The poem caters to children with its short retainable stanzas, rhyme, and meter akin to that of a nursery rhyme. By its nature of telling of bunnies, the poem is also regarded as an Easter poem.

This piece by Ena Hawken is fairly known by Canadian society today. It has gained popularity over the years as a nursery rhyme published on children's websites or a poem tied to Easter. However, 'Bunnies' is largely overshadowed by older nursery rhymes or children's poetry like 'Humpty Dumpty.'

Every little bunny

Has a habit that is funny.

#15

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“?”

by Robert Service

‘?’ by Service poses a choice between a “sparkling sinner” and a “stolid saint,” urging reflection on love and partner preferences.

If you had the choice of two women to wed,

(Though of course the idea is quite absurd)

And the first from her heels to her dainty head

Was charming in every sense of the word:

Home » Collection » Canadian Poems

15+ Must-Read Canadian Poems

(15 to start, 40+ to explore)

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15+ Must-Read Canadian Poems

(15 to start, 40+ to explore)

by William Morris

by John McCrae

by Margaret Atwood

by Margaret Atwood

by Rupi Kaur

by Louise Glück

by Emilie Pinet

by Bliss Carman

by Margaret Atwood

by Charles Sangster

by Margaret Atwood

by Edmund Vance Cooke

by Mark Strand

by Ena Hawken

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