15+ Striking Fighter Poems

(15 to start, 18+ to explore)

Poems about fighters encapsulate the indomitable spirit, resilience, and unyielding determination of those who face adversity and strive for justice. These verses celebrate courage, strength, and unwavering commitment to a cause or ideal.

In these interesting poems, fighters become symbols of defiance, perseverance, and the pursuit of truth. These poems honor those who challenge oppression, champion human rights, and resist injustice in all its forms.

These verses delve into the battles fought on the frontlines—whether physical, social, or internal.

Poem Explorer Poetry Archives

#1

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84

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80

74

Emotion:

78

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64

68

90

76

85

Form:

66

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83

"> 68/100

As it Should Be

by Derek Mahon

‘As it Should Be’ is a powerful and telling satirical take on the violence that plagued Northern Ireland for decades.

The figure of the vengeful man in the poem represents the fighters and perpetrators of violence during the Troubles. Mahon paints this individual not as a hero, but as a tragic participant in a larger cycle of brutality.

We hunted the mad bastard

Through bog, moorland, rock, to the star-lit west

And gunned him down in a blind yard

Between ten sleeping lorries

And an electricity generator.

#2

60

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60

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85

80

60

Emotions:

80

65

65

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55

55

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70

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55

"> 55/100

I saw a man pursuing the horizon

by Stephen Crane

‘I saw a man pursuing the horizon’ by Stephen Crane is a short but incredibly moving poem about chasing impossibilities with multiple interpretations.

One interpretation of the man in the poem could view him as a kind of resilient fighter. Someone who doesn't let naysayers deter or distract them from their pursuits. But this interpretation casts both a positive and negative light on the man, as he can also come off as belligerent and unheeding to the point of blind arrogance.

I saw a man pursuing the horizon;

Round and round they sped.

I was disturbed at this;

I accosted the man.

#3

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40

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30

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75

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62

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85

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60

"> 45/100

The Complaints of the Poor

by Robert Southey

‘The Complaints of the Poor’ by Robert Southey takes place in a city, likely London, and describes the desperate measures poverty drives people to.

The various people the narrator and "rich man" meet in this poem are fighting to survive day to day.

And wherefore do the Poor complain?

The rich man asked of me,—

Come walk abroad with me, I said

And I will answer thee.

#4

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91

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50

45

89

Emotions:

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40

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Topics:

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81

60

World War One (WWI)

88

Form:

55

"> 36/100

The Soldier

by Rupert Brooke

‘The Soldier’ is a poem by famed war poet Rupert Brooke. It celebrates the sacrifices of soldiers during World War I.

The poem presents the idea that the speaker's death in battle will be a noble sacrifice for his country and that he will continue to live on through the memory of England. While the poem does not depict fighting directly, it does reflect on the ideals of patriotism, sacrifice, and duty that motivated soldiers to fight and die in World War I.

If I should die, think only this of me:

That there’s some corner of a foreign field

That is for ever England. There shall be

In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;

#5

A Stopwatch and an Ordnance Map

by Stephen Spender

‘A Stopwatch and an Ordnance Map’ by Stephen Spender explores the Spanish Civil War through the lyrical depiction of one man’s death. It is marked by a stopwatch, the olive trees, and the continued conflict around him.

All under the olive trees.

A stopwatch and an ordnance map.

And the bones are fixed at five

#6

Amateur Fighter

by Natasha Trethewey

‘Amateur Fighter’ is a poem about a speaker thinking of her father, a boxer. His painful journey inside and outside the ring is portrayed through this piece.

What's left is the tiny gold glove

hanging from his key chain. But,

before that, he had come to boxing,

#7

And There Was a Great Calm

by Thomas Hardy

‘And There Was a Great Calm’ by Thomas Hardy describes the horrors of WWI, the end of the war, and the ‘Great Calm’ which came on November 11th, 1918.

There had been years of Passion—scorching, cold,

And much Despair, and Anger heaving high,

Care whitely watching, Sorrows manifold,

Among the young, among the weak and old,

#8

Attack

by Siegfried Sassoon

Attack’ by Siegfried Sassoon is an eye-opening poem about the harsh reality of war and what it feels like to be a soldier.

At dawn the ridge emerges massed and dun

In the wild purple of the glow'ring sun,

Smouldering through spouts of drifting smoke that shroud

The menacing scarred slope; and, one by one,

#9

Caged Bird

by Maya Angelou

‘Caged Bird’, or ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ as the poem is sometimes referred to, by Maya Angelou, is arguably one of the most moving and eye-opening poems ever written.

A free bird leaps

on the back of the wind

and floats downstream

till the current ends

#10

Courage

by Anna Akhmatova

‘Courage’ by Anna Akhmatova is a passionate poem about courage in the face of war. Specifically, Akhmatova was writing about World War II.

We know what is now on History’s scales,

What is, in the world, going now.

The hour of courage shew our clock’s hands.

#11

Noah’s Flood

by Amal Dunqul

‘Noah’s Flood’ by Amal Dunqul depicts a valiant, yet futile, fight against a flood, symbolizing the struggle to save a city from calamity.

#12

The Forced Recruit

by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

‘The Forced Recruit’ by Elizabeth Barrett Browning tells the very real story of a brave Italian man who was forced to fight against his country.

In the ranks of the Austrian you found him,

He died with his face to you all;

Yet bury him here where around him

You honor your bravest that fall.

#13

The Soldier’s Song By Anita Nair

by Anita Nair

‘The Soldier’s Song’ by Nair reveals the stark reality of a soldier’s life, contrasting its perceived thrill with its grim routine.

#14

The Soldiers Came

by John Agard

‘The Soldiers Came’ captures the haunting aftermath of war, using stark imagery and deep emotion to craft a powerful, relatable piece.

The soldiers came

and dropped their bombs.

The soldiers didn't take long

to bring the forest down.

#15

There was a time when my cheek burned

by Emily Brontë

‘There was a time when my cheek burned’ by Emily Brontë describes the speaker’s passion for justice and how the world disappointed them.

There was a time when my cheek burned

To give such scornful fiends the lie;

Ungoverned nature madly spurned

The law that bade it not defy.

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