Poems about community celebrate the strength, diversity, and connections between groups of people. They capture the essence of collective identity, shared values, and the bonds that tie individuals together. These poems often explore themes of unity, support, and belonging.
These poems also reflect on the beauty of collaboration, empathy, and the collective pursuit of common goals. Poems about community may also highlight the struggles faced by marginalized groups, advocate for social justice, or celebrate the vibrant tapestry of cultures within a community.
‘How Things Work’ by Gary Soto is a moving poem that envisions an optimistic perception of the way people support one another through financial altruism.
Soto makes it clear throughout the poem that community is essential to the survival of individuals. Without such a community, the speaker would find it difficult to survive, and no doubt others would too. Plagued by poverty, the Chicano community the speaker describes only exists because of the exchange of money that self-sustains it.
Plath’s ‘Mushrooms’ uses a creative metaphor of mushrooms to represent the struggle of marginalized sections, widely interpreted to be women.
Mushrooms form a community based on collective injustice and marginalization, representing the disadvantaged and oppressed sections of society, which often form collectivities. All mushrooms suffer the same fate at the hands of the powerful and come together with their shared suffering, values, and dreams, working towards collective goals. The speaker emphasizes their struggle, resilience, and perseverance to grow despite their exploitation while affirming their collective identity, using 'we' and 'us', sounding as if asserting united power, 'So many of us!/So many of us!,' implying it'd be impossible to break their united resistance and progress. Moreover, in the last two stanzas, the speaker celebrates their collective strength, bringing transformation and triumph.
Dickinson’s ‘I’m Nobody! Who are you?’ celebrates the nobodies of society while criticizing the mainstream and mocking the somebodies.
By employing rhetorical questions, assumptions, and subtle hypophora, the poem creates a sense of an unseen community of nobodies, or individuals who defy conventional expectations and prefer to remain invisible in society. Using personal pronouns such as 'us,' 'we,' and 'you' and mocking the other stereotypical identities (somebodies), the poem builds an intimate connection with readers who have a shared nobody identity, empathizing and assuring they are not alone while eventually forming a community or sense of a community offering understanding, belongingness, pride, shared values, and inclusivity to those who don't belong to the mainstream.
‘Keeping Quiet’ by Pablo Neruda is an incredibly thoughtful poem that stands out among Neruda’s many love poems. It takes a unique approach to the human condition and how “we” don’t understand ourselves.
Community is an essential part of this poem. It's something that's lacking from the world, the poet indicates, and something that could be improved if we could better understand one another.
In the poem ‘Fences’ by Pat Mora, the conflict is portrayed quite powerfully thus capturing the feeling of where locals end and tourists begin, thus raising the issues of trespass and erasure.
Exploring the concept of community, they focus on people’s interactions and monitor the process with the help of inhabitants. The poem focuses on people’s experiences and the changes in their relationships with the land due to tourism. Therefore, dignity and individuality are depicted to celebrate togetherness, yet economic differences and strained culture with unreliable tourists force reflection on multiculturalism and standing strong together.
‘Pot’ by Shamshad Khan is a unique poem in which the speaker addresses a pot in a museum and discusses belonging, identity, and the desire for belonging.
Community is an important part of this poem. The speaker longs for a sense of belonging to a specific community. She felt this when she returned to her homeland and it brought her a great deal of piece, the poem suggests.
‘Any Human to Another’ by Countee Cullen connects humans through the shared experience of sorrow, advocating empathy and compassion.
The poem's idea of universal human interconnectedness through sorrows and promoting sharing of each others' grief while practicing empathy and compassion suggests healthy communities wherein individuals help and support each other, particularly during rough times. Alternatively, the way of living suggested in the poem can lead to the formation of strong, supportive communities built on empathy, selflessness, compassion, collective unity, and strong bonds.
The poem used in the Nationwide advert, ‘The Birth of the Building Society’ by Stephen Morrison-Burke, was written to tell the origin story of building societies. It also seeks to differentiate them from banks in customer’s eyes.
Community is central in the poem, emphasizing the power of people working together to improve their lives. It describes how building societies were born out of shared effort and mutual support, where individuals contributed to help each other achieve stability. This collective spirit is still relevant, reminding readers that real progress often comes from unity. The poem suggests that communities thrive when they support and lift one another.
no hidden agendas.
Just a simple system that existed solely for the benefit of its members.
‘the mother’s story’ by Lucille Clifton is a poem about the female community, encouragement and hope in a world with gender inequalities. It shows an older generation of African American women impacting subtly implied feminist ideals in the younger generation, exemplified by Clifton herself.
Community is the bedrock of the poem. All other themes and topics are conveyed to the audience through Clifton's description of her community, centering more on the scene of their empowering ritual: whispering over the younger female, Clifton. Through this community, Clifton explores the dynamic of the female and feminist community and all other emotions that come with being a part of it.
Celebrating the beauty of diligence, Marge Piercy’s ‘To be of use’ draws powerful metaphors between humans and enduring animals.
The poem subtly emphasizes the importance of community, especially in how it depicts people working together “in a common rhythm” when tasks like harvesting or putting out fires need to be done. The collective effort of a group striving for a shared goal reflects the value of community. Though the poem focuses on individual contributions, it underscores how meaningful labor is enhanced when done for the greater good.
The people I love the best
jump into work head first
without dallying in the shallows
and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight.
David Constantine’s ‘Watching for Dolphins’ presents urbanites seeking spirituality in nature, symbolized by their quest to spot dolphins.
The passengers are united in their quest for a deeper connection with nature and a longing for spiritual epiphany, hoping for a collective experience. There is a repeated emphasis on their togetherness with phrases like 'all gazed,' 'all, unaccustomed,' etc., highlighting their communal bond and shared aspiration, transcending personal differences. The collective yearning for dolphins symbolizes spiritual longing and a broader desire for interconnectedness, communal purpose, and meaning.
‘Blessing’ by Imtiaz Dharker is about the importance of water in people’s lives. It uses imagery to depict how cricital this element is to survival.
The poem shows how people come together in times of need. When the pipe bursts, the entire neighborhood rushes out to collect water. Everyone is part of the moment—children, adults, families. They are united by the same struggle and the same joy. This shared experience creates a sense of togetherness. Even though they live with very little, their reaction shows the strength of their community and how important it is to support one another.
Jeffrey Robin’s ‘Mountain Evening Song’ is a celebration of the campfire. As he looks into its flames, the speaker experiences a profound connection with his companions and the natural world.
This poem is about the community formed around the campfire. As the speaker sees his friends' faces through the flames, he feels more deeply connected and present with them.
Masters’ ‘Fiddler Jones’ highlights how following one’s passion, no matter what it is, is always worthwhile and helps lead a life without any regrets. As the title says, this poem is about a wayward fiddler devoted to his passion.
Community is important in the poem, as Jones’s music brings people together. He plays his fiddle at gatherings, creating joy and connection among the townspeople. This is very different from Potter, who is focused on his land and often works alone. Jones’s role in the community shows how being connected with others can bring happiness and a sense of belonging
Where is Old Fiddler Jones
Who played with life all his ninety years,
Braving the sleet with bared breast,
Drinking, rioting, thinking neither of wife nor kin,
Walt Whitman’s poetic prose, ‘I hear America Singing’, free-flows with vibrancy, energy, and sheer respect for working class members of America.
Even though the people in the poem are never directly shown together, the structure of the poem pulls them into one connected group. Each person contributes something important, and together their efforts reflect the spirit of a unified society. Whitman seems to say that a strong country is built by regular people doing their part. This quiet sense of togetherness makes community a central idea, even if it is not mentioned by name.
I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,
Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong,
The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,
The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work,
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