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Embracing your personal journey, needs, wants, flaws, and strongest character traits are all part of being yourself.
Poems that explore this theme are often more contemporary than classic, but that doesn’t mean being yourself poems are confined to the present day. In fact, poets like William Blake, Rudyard Kipling, and even William Shakespeare considered this topic at one point in their poetic works.
Any piece of poetry that embraces individuality, self-confidence, and the desire to fulfill one’s personal goals is also a poem about being yourself. No matter who you are or where you’re from, these poems have a universal appeal. Everyone wants to be accepted for who they are, and these poets have put that desire into beautiful, unforgettable verse.
‘Poem About My Rights’ by June Jordan is a one-stanza poem revealing a speaker’s thoughts on misogyny, sexism, and racism from their experience. It is celebrated for accurately portraying the struggles of women and men of color in a patriarchial and predominantly white society.
Even tonight and I need to take a walk and clear
my head about this poem about why I can’t
go out without changing my clothes my shoes
my body posture my gender identity my age
Dickinson’s ‘The Soul selects her own Society’ depicts a Soul that isolates herself and selectively chooses one companion.
The Soul selects her own Society —
Then — shuts the Door —
To her divine Majority —
Present no more —
Stevie Smith’s ‘Not Waving but Drowning’ is a tragic account of a dead man whose cry for help is mistakenly regarded as a mere greeting.
Nobody heard him, the dead man,
But still he lay moaning:
I was much further out than you thought
And not waving but drowning.
‘My Beautiful Life’ by Mitsuo Aida is a reminder to value and celebrate who we are and what we have, rather than constantly striving for something more.
Because it has lived its life intensely
the parched grass still attracts the gaze of passers-by.
The flowers merely flower,
and they do this as well as they can.
‘Homing’ by Liz Berry is an inspirational and sometimes sad poem about identity and how individuals are forced to conform to societal norms.
For years you kept your accent
in a box beneath the bed,
the lock rusted shut by hours of elocution
how now brown cow
the teacher’s ruler across your legs.
‘How to Eat a Poem’ by Eve Merriam uses eating fruit as a metaphor for reading poetry to encourage readers to enjoy poetry.
Don't be polite.
Bite in.
Pick it up with your fingers and lick the juice that
may run down your chin.
‘Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror’ by John Ashbery manifests art’s struggle to capture the multifaceted self.
As Parmigianino did it, the right hand
Bigger than the head, thrust at the viewer
And swerving easily away, as though to protect
What it advertises. A few leaded panes, old beams,
Zephaniah’s ‘Dis Poetry’ is a vibrant manifesto of identity and freedom, breaking from tradition to celebrate authentic self-expression.
Dis poetry is like a riddim dat drops
De tongue fires a riddim dat shoots like shots
Dis poetry is designed fe rantin
Dance hall style, big mouth chanting,
‘Still I Rise’ is an inspiring and emotional poem that’s based around Maya Angelou’s experiences as a Black woman in America. It encourages readers to love themselves fully and persevere in the face of every hardship.
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.
‘Knock Knock’ by Daniel Beaty is a heartfelt poem exploring themes of loss and hope through the powerful narrative of a father-son relationship.
As a boy I shared a game with my father.
Played it every morning ‘til I was 3.
He would knock knock on my door, and I’d pretend to be asleep ‘til he got right next to the bed,
Then I would get up and jump into his arms.
‘Black Hair’ by Gary Soto is a contemporary poem that offers an introspective look at a child watching a baseball game.
At eight I was brilliant with my body.
In July, that ring of heat
We all jumped through, I sat in the bleachers
Of Romain Playground, in the lengthening
Ros Barber’s ‘Material’ stitches a nostalgic mourning of the shift from hankies to tissues, blending personal grief and societal critique.
My mother was a hanky queen
when hanky meant a thing of cloth,
not paper tissues bought in packs
from late-night garages and shops,
‘Our Deepest Fear’ by Marianne Williamson is a popular contemporary poem. It addresses themes of spirituality and inner power.
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness
That most frightens us.
‘Morning Swim’ by Maxine Kumin is a thoughtful lyric poem that’s written in couplets. The poem engages with themes of God and Nature.
Into my empty head there come
a cotton beach, a dock wherefrom
I set out, oily and nude
through mist, in chilly solitude.
‘Phenomenal Woman’ by Maya Angelou defies the stereotypes women are often faced with today. It is a poem filled with strength and determination.
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I’m telling lies.
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