‘You Can Have It’ is a poem about a man’s loss of enthusiasm towards life and his desire to regain the things and people that made it more colorful. The poem conveys this message through the persona’s narrative, set in Detroit in the year 1948.
Ultimately, Levine's poem is a simple poem about "simple things." In a direct fashion, Levine describes one aspect of life from a very focused experience. The topic alone connects strongly with his audience.
My brother comes home from work
and climbs the stairs to our room.
I can hear the bed groan and his shoes drop
one by one. You can have it, he says.
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80/100
‘The Quilting’ by Paul Laurence Dunbar is a very short love poem that reveals the speaker’s growing affection for a woman named Dolly.
As a part of the realist movement, Dunbar wrote prolifically about daily life for black Americans. This poem is an excellent example of that. While the poem never truly reveals any cues about race, that's part of its importance. The speaker and Dolly are generic human beings, and they both have work to do and emotions to feel.
Dolly sits a–quilting by her mother, stitch by stitch,
Gracious, how my pulses throb, how my fingers itch,
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74/100
‘The Orange’ by Wendy Cope celebrates the joy found in small, everyday moments—like sharing an orange with friends.
The poem focuses on the simplicity of a routine day, showing how ordinary moments can be fulfilling. It embraces the warmth of companionship, the pleasure of food, and the peace of knowing life is going well. It’s relatable, much like the feeling of making a cup of tea in the morning or laughing with a friend. The poem suggests that life doesn’t always need grand achievements—happiness can be found in the flow of daily moments.
At lunchtime I bought a huge orange—
The size of it made us all laugh.
I peeled it and shared it with Robert and Dave—
They got quarters and I had a half.
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72/100
‘A Peasant’ was written in 1942. The poem presents an emblematic character of Thomas’s poetry called Iago Prytherch.
The piece offers a raw glimpse into the daily life of a Welsh farmer. Detailed descriptions of "docking mangels" and "churning the crude earth" paint a detailed picture of rural routines. By focusing on these mundane tasks, the poem elevates everyday experiences to the realm of poetry, suggesting that profound truths can be found in the most ordinary of lives.
Iago Prytherch his name, though, be it allowed,
Just an ordinary man of the bald Welsh hills,
Who pens a few sheep in a gap of cloud.
Docking mangels, chipping the green skin
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72/100
‘Cuddle Doon’ by Alexander Anderson is a poem about a mother trying to persuade her children to go to sleep. It uses Scots dialect to convey the culture of the speaker and her family.
Part of what makes 'Cuddle Doon' charming and enduring is that it is about ordinary things. By focusing on a normal family and their daily challenges and joys, the poem becomes more universal. It describes a situation that many people around the world will be familiar with.
The bairnies cuddle doon at nicht
Wi muckle faught and din.
“Oh try an’ sleep, ye waukrife rogues,
Your faither’s comin’ in.”
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71/100
In ‘Aimless Love,” the speaker finds himself falling love with the precarious beauty of everyday life.
This poem is all about the importance of appreciating daily life. From clean white shirts to miniature orange trees, Collins imbues each object or creature with dignity and beauty.
This morning as I walked along the lakeshore,
I fell in love with a wren
and later in the day with a mouse
the cat had dropped under the dining room table.
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71/100
‘How to Eat a Poem’ by Eve Merriam uses eating fruit as a metaphor for reading poetry to encourage readers to enjoy poetry.
The poem thus normalizes poetry by comparing the experience of reading poetry to eating an apple, a fruit. It implies that poetry is not something that is out of this world or something that is done in the higher realms of society but it is something that can be done on a day-to-day basis and as often as one wishes.
Don't be polite.
Bite in.
Pick it up with your fingers and lick the juice that
may run down your chin.
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71/100
‘Woman Work’ by Maya Angelou is a poem that celebrates women’s strength. It uses natural imagery to speak on this topic and various others.
The poem accurately portrays the monotonous of the woman’s life. It enlists a range of tasks and duties including preparation of food and washing dishes, taking care of children and also the sick. This portrayal further puts a light on the drudgery of her life while highlighting that even the most ordinary life is not easy, it requires physical as well as emotional exertion.
I've got the children to tend
The clothes to mend
The floor to mop
The food to shop
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70/100
‘A Bird, came down the Walk’ by Emily Dickinson is a beautiful nature poem. It focuses on the actions of a bird going about its everyday life.
The poem describes something that goes on every day around the world.
A Bird, came down the Walk -
He did not know I saw -
He bit an Angle Worm in halves
And ate the fellow, raw,
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70/100
W.H. Auden’s ‘Night Mail,’ written for the UK postal service, presents its significance and dedication to fulfilling society’s needs.
The poem captures the daily routine of the postal train, its workers, and the people it serves. It details the train's nightly journey, tirelessly delivering mail as people sleep, indicating the seamless integration of the postal service into individuals' everyday lives as they sleep calmly while the train passes. As dawn breaks, the anticipation of receiving letters stirs, reflecting the daily rhythm of life.
This is the night mail crossing the Border,
Bringing the cheque and the postal order,
Letters for the rich, letters for the poor,
The shop at the corner, the girl next door.
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70/100
The speaker of the poem observes the older lady to be callous as he hangs out with her, only to find out he himself is indeed emotionally desolate and callous.
The poem presents the meaninglessness of modern existence through the daily lives of the speaker and the old lady. The class-conscious meaningless pursuits they carry in their daily lives provide no fulfillment, and the speaker and the old lady deal with spiritual and emotional desolation. The poem presents the decadent urban society through modern urban people's daily lives or routines.
Among the smoke and fog of a December afternoon
You have the scene arrange itself — as it will seem to do—
With 'I have saved this afternoon for you';
And four wax candles in the darkened room,
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70/100
‘Tell the truth but tell it slant’ by Emily Dickinson is one of Dickinson’s best-loved poems. It explores an unknown “truth” that readers must interpret in their own way.
Telling the truth and dealing with tough situations is part of daily life, making this poem highly relevant.
Tell all the truth but tell it slant —
Success in Circuit lies
Too bright for our infirm Delight
The Truth's superb surprise
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70/100
‘The Red Wheelbarrow’ by William Carlos Williams is a short modernist poem depicting a red wheelbarrow glazed with rain.
Daily life is central to 'The Red Wheelbarrow,' as the poem celebrates the ordinary moments of life. Williams suggests that the work of farming and gardening is essential to our connection to the natural world and our sense of purpose. By embracing the routines of daily life, Williams encourages readers to find meaning in ordinary moments.
so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
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69/100
‘Here’ by Philip Larkin paints a powerful contrast between urban and rural life, exploring the human need to find meaning along the passage of time.
The poem 'Here' portrays the topic of daily life by offering a snapshot of both urban and rural experiences within the context of everyday existence. It presents a contrast between the two settings, highlighting the routines, landscapes, and elements that make up daily life. In the urban setting, the poem describes the traffic, the presence of workmen, and the scenes of people going about their daily routines, such as shopping for "cheap suits, red kitchen—ware..." These details capture the essence of city life and the everyday activities that people engage in. On the other hand, the poem also portrays the countryside with images of scarecrows, haystacks, and natural elements like hares and pheasants. These elements represent the quieter, more rural aspects of daily life.
Swerving east, from rich industrial shadows
And traffic all night north; swerving through fields
Too thin and thistled to be called meadows,
And now and then a harsh—named halt, that shields
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68/100
‘Nuns Fret Not at Their Convent’s Narrow Room’ by William Wordsworth is a thoughtful poem that expresses the poet’s appreciation for his chosen path.
The poem talks about the simple daily routines of different people. Nuns, hermits, and students all find happiness in their everyday tasks. The poet also enjoys the daily act of writing sonnets. This shows that peace and happiness can come from regular, daily activities. It reminds us that our everyday life can be a source of contentment.
Nuns fret not at their convent’s narrow room;
And hermits are contented with their cells;
And students with their pensive citadels;
Maids at the wheel, the weaver at his loom,
