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Poems about danger delve into the thrilling, precarious, and sometimes dark aspects of human existence. They explore the adrenaline rush, the fear, and the allure that danger can hold for individuals. These poems often confront the inherent risks we face in life and the powerful emotions that arise when confronted with perilous situations.
These poems can capture moments of peril, the fight-or-flight response, and the struggle for survival. Metaphors and symbolism are employed to evoke a sense of imminent danger and to explore the psychological impact of confronting mortality.
Emotional danger can also be a subject of exploration in poetry. These poems delve into the risks associated with vulnerability, trust, and the depths of human connection.
‘What Though the Dark Come Down’ by Annette Wynne is a powerful, four-stanza poem that explores the power, or lack thereof, darkness holds.
What though the dark come down,
What though the shadows fall,
What though the dark come on the sea,
And the ships and the hills and all?
Armitage’s ‘Chainsaw Versus the Pampas Grass’ depicts the speaker’s futile attempt to eradicate the grass with the ferocious chainsaw.
It seemed an unlikely match. All winter unplugged,
grinding its teeth in a plastic sleeve, the chainsaw swung
nose-down from a hook in the darkroom
under the hatch in the floor. When offered the can
‘Request To A Year’ by J. Wright seeks a great-great-grandmother’s artistic resolve amidst adversity through memory.
If the year is meditating a suitable gift,
I should like it to be the attitude
of my great- great- grandmother,
legendary devotee of the arts,
‘Little Red Cap’ by Duffy is a feminist retelling of the classic tale, exploring the empowerment and growth of the little girl.
At childhood’s end, the houses petered out
into playing fields, the factory, allotments
kept, like mistresses, by kneeling married men,
the silent railway line, the hermit’s caravan,
‘Working’ by Tony Harrison is a powerful poem about the terrible working conditions suffered by two different types of workers. The first half of the poem focuses on mining and the second half focuses on a line worker in a factory.
Among stooped getters, grimy, knacker-bare,
head down thrusting a 3 cwt corf
turned your crown bald, your golden hair
chafed fluffy first and then scuffed off,
‘A Little Learning’ by Alexander Pope reflects on the dangers of superficial knowledge, urging deep understanding for true enlightenment.
A little learning is a dangerous thing ;
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring :
There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
And drinking largely sobers us again.
‘The Storm-Wind’ by William Barnes contrasts peace and danger with images of home and a terrifying storm. The poem emphasizes how much easier it is to appreciate the safety of home when the conditions outside are so inhospitable.
When the swift-rolling brook, swollen deep,
Rushes on by the alders, full speed,
And the wild-blowing winds lowly sweep
O'er the quivering leaf and the weed,
And the willow tree writhes in each limb,
Over sedge-reeds that reel by the brim —
‘Thrushes’ by Ted Hughes depicts predatory birds with precision likened to steel, embodying primal instinct and efficiency in their actions.
Terrifying are the attent sleek thrushes on the lawn,
More coiled steel than living - a poised
Dark deadly eye, those delicate legs
Triggered to stirrings beyond sense - with a start, a bounce,
‘Air Raid’ by Chinua Achebe is a poem that provides a glimpse into the Nigerian/Biafran Civil War using symbolism and dark humor.
It comes so quickly
the bird of death
from evil forests of Soviet technology
A man crossing the road
‘A Prayer for my Son,’ written from the perspective of a father who wants to protect his son against all odds during the brewing war in Ireland. Read the poem with a complete analysis.
Bid a strong ghost stand at the head
That my Michael may sleep sound,
Nor cry, nor turn in the bed
Till his morning meal come round;
‘Junkie Monkey Reel’ by Maya Angelou is filled with images that make it easy for readers to imagine the impact of severe drug use. Throughout this poem, the poet alludes to the ways that drugs, like heroin, destroy someone’s life.
Shoulders sag,
The pull of weighted needling.
Arms drag, smacking wet in soft bone
‘The Climate’ by Annelyse Gelman is a powerful piece about the climate crisis. It is seen through an approaching wave and metaphorical beachgoers’ negligence.
It was like watching a wave approach
from a great distance, so great
that at first it is not a wave at all, but
a mere horizon, static and singular,
‘Two Lines from the Brothers Grimm’ by Gregory Orr is a short and impactful poem. In it, the speaker describes approaching dangers and the need to escape them with his sibling.
They have taken our parents away.
Downstairs in the half dark, two strangers
move about, lighting the stove.
‘Beware: Do Not Read This Poem’ by Ishmael Reed is a thoughtful poem about culture and how language is used to tell stories. The poem warns against becoming too consumed within one method of storytelling.
tonite, thriller was
about an old woman, so vain she
surrounded herself with
many mirrors
‘Ode on a Grayson Perry Urn’ by Turnbull echoes Keats, using a modern urn to explore youth’s timeless joy and rebellion.
Hello! What's all this here? A kitschy vase
some Shirley Temple manqué has knocked out
delineating tales of kids in cars
on crap estates, the Burberry clad louts
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