15+ Visionary Poems about the Future

(15 to start, 100+ to explore)

The future concept has long captivated the poetic imagination, serving as a canvas for contemplation, anticipation, and speculation. Poets skillfully navigate the possibilities of the future, employing vivid imagery and thought-provoking language to evoke a sense of wonder and curiosity. These verses delve into the temporal horizon, exploring the interplay between human agency and the unknown.

They may reflect on the potential for progress, technological advancements, and societal transformation that lie ahead. At times, poets may also contemplate the fragility of the future, acknowledging the uncertainty and challenges accompanying the passage of time.

Through their poetic compositions, poets invite readers to engage in introspection, embracing the future as an ever-unfolding tapestry of opportunity, shaping their aspirations and inspiring them to shape the world that lies before them actively.

Poems about Future Visual Representation

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As I Walk These Broad Majestic Days

by Walt Whitman

‘As I Walk These Broad Majestic Days’ by Walt Whitman offers a timeless examination of the poet’s purpose in a world that is constantly changing due to forces that only appear more tangible than poetry.

One of the central topics of Walt Whitman's poem touches on their hopes and predictions of the future. The speaker ruminates over everything from future wars to the vaulting progress of science. In looking ahead, the speaker illustrates a nation in flux and under a constant state of change. But for the most part, their vision is heartily optimistic.

As I walk these broad majestic days of peace,

(For the war, the struggle of blood finish'd, wherein, O terrific Ideal,

Against vast odds erewhile having gloriously won,

Now thou stridest on, yet perhaps in time toward denser wars,

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Sonnet 3

by William Shakespeare

‘Sonnet 3’ is a Procreation Sonnet addressing Fair Youth while emphasizing the significance of procreation.

The poem stresses the profound impact of present choices on future outcomes. The speaker presents two contrasting visions of the future for the Fair Youth based on his decision to procreate or not. If he chooses to have children, he can relive his present beauty through his offspring, ensuring his legacy continues despite the ravages of time. However, if he fails to procreate, cheating the world of his potential progeny, he faces a future marked by obscurity and loneliness.

Look in thy glass and tell the face thou viewest,

Now is the time that face should form another,

Whose fresh repair if now thou not renewest,

Thou dost beguile the world, unbless some mother.

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The Lost Generation

by Jonathan Reed

Jonathan Reed’s ‘The Lost Generation’ is a palindrome poem that utilizes an innovative approach in order to dictate the future course of the present generation.

Jon Reed paints a picture of the future in which every human value is somehow forgotten or lost. People will be so busy with their lives that they forget to pause to appreciate what makes them truly happy. Besides, environmental degradation will be a norm and the earth will be beyond repair.

I'm part of a Lost Generation

and I refuse to believe that

I can change the world.

I realize this may be a shock, but

"Happiness comes from within"

is a lie, and "Money will make me happy"

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Now We Are Six

by A. A. Milne

‘Now We Are Six’ by A. A. Milne is a funny poem. The young speaker talks about what life was like when they were younger than they are now.

This poem is all about growing up and becoming more of one's self at every age. The speaker reflects on how he has progressed over time, becoming more "clever" with each passing year.

When I was One,

I had just begun.

When I was Two,

I was nearly new.

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New Year’s Eve Midnight

by Gabriel Okara

‘New Year’s Eve Midnight’ by Gabriel Okara reflects on passage of time, hopes, and dreams amidst fading memories, and dawn of new beginnings.

The poem explores the future with a blend of hope and uncertainty, as symbolized by the "bells are chiming – a year is born." The future is depicted through "shrouded things" dimly visible on "heart-canopied paths," indicating unknown challenges and possibilities. This portrayal reflects the anticipation and mystery inherent in looking ahead to what the new year may bring.

Now the bells are tolling –

a year is dead.

And my heart is slowly beating

the Nunc Dimittis

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Very Old Man

by James Henry

‘Very Old Man’ by James Henry eloquently reflects on life’s journey, seamlessly intertwining innocence, aging, and the mysteries within.

This poem navigates the theme of the future through the speaker's contemplation of aging. The symbolic "thick, dark veil" hints at the mysteries ahead, fostering a reflection on the uncertainties and potential revelations that the future holds. The poem subtly explores the anticipation and enigma surrounding the uncharted territories yet to be experienced in life's ongoing journey.

I well remember how some threescore years

And ten ago, a helpless babe, I toddled

From chair to chair about my mother's chamber,

Feeling, as 'twere, my way in the new world

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Call Letters: Mrs V.B.

by Maya Angelou

‘Call Letters: Mrs V.B.’ by Maya Angelou is a motivational poem that speaks about approach life with confidence and determination.

In this poem, the speaker is looking into the future and seeing a great outcome for herself. She has confidence that she's going to be able to face any challenge that comes her way, as well.

Ships?

Sure I’ll sail them.

Show me the boat,

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Over The Brazier

by Robert Burns

‘Over The Brazier’ exposes the fragility inherent to the dreams of three soldiers who hope for peaceful lives after the war.

The future hangs heavily on the minds of the speaker and their companions as it represents a time and place out of the war's reach. To dream of the future is to escape, for just a moment, the ravages that unfold all around them. The realism or pragmatism of these hopes is not what's essential but rather the intention and conviction behind them. One that refuses to relinquish the men's spirits to despair and defeated sorrow, even though the war seems to find new ways to break them down.

What life to lead and where to go

After the War, after the War?

We'd often talked this way before

But I still see the brazier glow

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Sonnet 14

by William Shakespeare

Shakespeare’s ‘Sonnet 14’ ‘Not from the stars do I my judgment pluck,’ prophesies the end of the fair youth’s truth and beauty if they don’t procreate.

The speaker's central concern is the future of the addressee's beauty and truth. They find a way, i.e., procreation, to immortalize the addressee's seemingly pure and rare beauty and truth against human transience and mortality. Their tone is grave as they try to evoke a sense of fear and responsibility in the addressee, urging them to save the future of truth and beauty. They warn of a dire future, one marked by the doom and death of truth and beauty, if the addressee does not procreate and pass on these qualities.

Not from the stars do I my judgement pluck;

And yet methinks I have Astronomy,

But not to tell of good or evil luck,

Of plagues, of dearths, or seasons' quality;

#10

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Wild Lemons

by David Malouf

‘Wild Lemons’ by David Malouf is a powerful poem about the passage of time and how some things remain the same.

The future, like the past, is a focus in this poem. While Malouf does spend more time discussing the influence of the past, the poem starts out with an allusion to what "we" have in our future.

Through all those years keeping the present

open to the light of just this moment:

that was the path we found, you might call it

a promise, that starting out among blazed trunks

#11

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The Epic

by Alfred Lord Tennyson

‘The Epic’ by Alfred Lord Tennyson contemplates tradition’s wane, artistic innovation, and the timeless value of creativity in changing times.

This poem acknowledges the uncertainty of the future. It portrays a group grappling with the changes of their time, reflecting the challenge of anticipating what lies ahead. The poem conveys a sense of unease and the difficulty of preserving traditions and values while adapting to evolving circumstances. It suggests that the future is marked by ambiguity and the need to navigate change with resilience.

At Francis Allen’s on the Christmas-eve,—

The game of forfeits done—the girls all kiss’d

Beneath the sacred bush and past away—

The parson Holmes, the poet Everard Hall,

#12

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Sonnet 107

by William Shakespeare

‘Sonnet 107’ by William Shakespeare addresses how the speaker and the Fair Youth are going to be memorialized and outsmart death through the “poor rhyme” of poetry.

The future is explored in ‘Sonnet 107’ through the speaker’s confidence in the lasting impact of poetry. While the future is uncertain, as seen in “The mortal moon hath her eclipse endured,” the poem suggests that poetry will outlast the fleeting nature of life. The speaker reflects on the future with hope, believing that his verse will serve as a monument long after physical structures have faded.

Not mine own fears, nor the prophetic soul

Of the wide world dreaming on things to come,

Can yet the lease of my true love control,

Supposed as forfeit to a confined doom.

#13

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The Invocation

by Gabriel Okara

‘The Invocation’ by Gabriel Okara is a poem in the “The Fisherman’s Invocation” series of poems, and it continues to look at themes of time and identity.

In this poem, the future is described as "the Front," meaning what is ahead of the boat. The future is seen as potentially holding unexpected hazards - shown as a waterfall - but at the same time Okara evokes a sense of excitement and anticipation as he repeatedly says that it is "coming."

See the sun in my hands

I see

See the Gods in the sun

I see

See the Back in my hands

#14

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The Road Not Taken

by Robert Frost

Robert Frost’s ‘The Road Not Taken’ explores life’s choices, opportunities, and the ensuing lingering regret of untaken paths.

The poem can be interpreted as asserting individualism, emphasizing the power to forge one's future by choosing to be a non-conformist. Alternatively, it implies the similarity between the paths undercutting the idea of building one's future. Moreover, the speaker's future predictions of exalting individualism may also suggest self-perceived illusions about shaping the future.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

#15

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When Spring Comes

by Alberto Caeiro

‘When Spring Comes’ by Alberto Caeiro is a poem dedicated to nature, while emphasizing the insignificance of our human life.

The poem evokes a sense of the future through the contemplation of spring. The speaker's hypothetical scenario of dying before the arrival of spring suggests a hopeful outlook, emphasizing the anticipation of what lies ahead. It underscores the notion that life moves forward, even after one's own demise.

When spring comes,

If I've already died,

The flowers will bloom in the same way

Home » Collection » Poems about Future

15+ Visionary Poems about the Future

(15 to start, 100+ to explore)

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15+ Visionary Poems about the Future

(15 to start, 100+ to explore)

by Walt Whitman

by William Shakespeare

by Jonathan Reed

by A. A. Milne

by Gabriel Okara

by James Henry

by Maya Angelou

by Robert Burns

by William Shakespeare

by David Malouf

by Alfred Lord Tennyson

by William Shakespeare

by Gabriel Okara

by Robert Frost

by Alberto Caeiro

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