15+ Heartfelt Poems about Gratitude

(15 to start, 250+ to explore)

Poems of gratitude overflow with warmth and appreciation, celebrating life’s blessings, big and small. The poet uses sincere, heartfelt language to express a deep sense of thankfulness.

Such verses often highlight the beauty in ordinary moments, encouraging the reader to cultivate an attitude of gratitude. These poems remind us of the joy in simple pleasures, inspiring a sense of contentment and encouraging us to appreciate the gifts of life.

Poems about Gratitude Visual Representation

Poem Explorer Poetry Archives

PDF Guide

Nationality:

Themes:

Emotions:

Topics:

Form:

Genre:

"> 86/100

Trees

by Joyce Kilmer

Kilmer’s ‘Trees’ marvels at nature’s beauty, declaring trees as divine art surpassing human creation, in simple yet profound couplets.

Gratitude shines in ‘Trees’, particularly in Kilmer’s declaration, ‘only God can make a tree.’ This acknowledgment of divine artistry underscores the poet’s humility and awe. The poem’s reverent tone celebrates nature as a gift to be cherished, inspiring readers to appreciate its beauty and its connection to the divine.

I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

PDF Guide

Nationality:

Themes:

Emotions:

Topics:

Form:

"> 84/100

I’m Thankful for Turkey

by Kenn Nesbitt

‘I’m Thankful for Turkey’ by Kenn Nesbitt celebrates Thanksgiving, as the speaker joyfully lists diverse dishes, conveying gratitude, indulgence, and familial bonds through vivid imagery.

The bulk of this poem is about how thankful one should be on Thanksgiving and throughout every day of their life. The poem focuses on reminding young readers of all the wonderful things one can eat on Thanksgiving.

I’m thankful for turkey.

I’m thankful for yams.

I’m thankful for cranberries,

biscuits, and hams.

PDF Guide

Nationality:

Themes:

Emotions:

Topics:

Form:

Genre:

"> 78/100

A Farewell

by Alfred Lord Tennyson

‘A Farewell’ challenges the reader to reflect upon the fleeting nature of human life, especially when compared to nature.

The narrator appears grateful for their life and for the time they still have left. This gratitude is principally expressed towards the natural world, which is presented to be their constant, unwavering companion.

Flow down, cold rivulet, to the sea,

Thy tribute wave deliver:

No more by thee my steps shall be,

For ever and for ever.

PDF Guide

Nationality:

Themes:

Emotions:

Topics:

Form:

"> 76/100

Canal Bank Walk

by Patrick Kavanagh

‘Canal Bank Walk’ explores a spiritual communion with nature, yearning for a pure, unselfconscious connection with the divine.

The poem expresses gratitude through the speaker’s thankfulness for the natural world as a source of spiritual and emotional healing. The poem portrays nature as a way of rejuvenation and a form of worship that makes the reader feel gratified for the natural beauty.

Leafy-with-love banks and the green waters of the canal

Pouring redemption for me, that I do

The will of God, wallow in the habitual, the banal,

Grow with nature again as before I grew.

PDF Guide

Nationality:

Themes:

Emotions:

Topics:

Mothers and Daughters

Strong Women

Form:

Free Verse

Genre: Lyric

"> 76/100

Praise Song For My Mother

by Grace Nichols

‘Praise Song For My Mother’ uses nature metaphors to depict her mother’s vital, nurturing presence in a personal ode.

Nichols' poem is fueled by an immense feeling gratitude toward their mother. Their "praise" is itself a form of appreciation as well as remembrance, each metaphor conveying the sensations her daughter now associates with her upbringing. That gratitude is further highlighted in the line, "Go to your wide futures, you said," cherished words of earnest encouragement that are implied to have propelled the speaker through life.

You were

water to me

deep and bold and fathoming

PDF Guide

Nationality:

Themes:

Emotions:

Topics:

Form:

"> 75/100

How Things Work

by Gary Soto

‘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.

Gratitude is a powerful emotion expressed within Soto's poem. One that arrives implicitly amongst the speaker's theory on how things work that they explain to their daughter. The poem serves as a reminder to be grateful for the financial support of a community, especially one stricken by poverty. It is this gratitude that the speaker evidently holds onto with optimism.

Today it’s going to cost us twenty dollars

To live. Five for a softball. Four for a book,

A handful of ones for coffee and two sweet rolls,

Bus fare, rosin for your mother’s violin.

PDF Guide

Nationality:

Themes:

Emotions:

Topics:

Form:

Genre:

"> 75/100

Sonnet 43: How do I love thee?

by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

In ‘Sonnet 43’, or ‘How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways’ the speaker is proclaiming her unending passion for her beloved.

Gratitude, though understated, is evident in Browning’s reverent language. Her words reveal appreciation for the capacity to love so deeply and unconditionally. This sense of gratitude transforms the sonnet into a kind of thanksgiving for her relationship, as she treasures both her beloved and the act of loving itself, viewing it as a divine gift.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of being and ideal grace.

PDF Guide

Nationality:

Themes:

Emotions:

Topics:

Form:

Genre:

"> 75/100

The Little Black Boy

by William Blake

‘The Little Black Boy’ by William Blake is a difficult poem. It delves into topics of race, racism, and slavery from the perspective of an 18th-century poet.

Gratitude shines through ‘The Little Black Boy’ as the speaker comes to terms with his place in the world. The mother teaches the boy to appreciate the “beams of love” given by God, encouraging him to endure earthly suffering for the promise of divine redemption. His gratitude emerges not from his physical life but from the spiritual promise of equality in God’s eyes, transforming the boy’s outlook on his identity and purpose.

My mother bore me in the southern wild,

And I am black, but O! my soul is white;

White as an angel is the English child:

But I am black as if bereav'd of light.

PDF Guide

Nationality:

Themes:

Emotions:

Topics:

Form:

Genre:

"> 73/100

In Memory of the Utah Stars

by William Matthews

‘In Memory of the Utah Stars’ captures the manner in which memories can provide us with both pleasure and pain.

The narrator appears grateful for the many happy memories the team gave them. This is in spite of their bitterness and the fact they feel as though they should have been more appreciative at the time.

Each of them must have terrified

his parents by being so big, obsessive

and exact so young, already gone

and leaving, like a big tipper,

#10

PDF Guide

Nationality:

Themes:

Emotions:

Topics:

Form:

"> 73/100

Request To A Year

by Judith Wright

‘Request To A Year’ by J. Wright seeks a great-great-grandmother’s artistic resolve amidst adversity through memory.

The individual acknowledges the power of their ancestor’s courage and hopes to receive that steadiness themselves. As the speaker thinks about the past bonds of resilience and creativity handed down from ancestors they feel this emotion. In the poem's celebration of the great-great-grandmother’s life reflects her skill in harmonizing motherhood with artistic expression.

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,

#11

PDF Guide

Nationality:

Themes:

Emotions:

Topics:

Form:

"> 72/100

From Blossoms

by Li-Young Lee

‘From Blossoms’ describes the simple joys of summer. It uses peaches to explore the vivid interconnectedness of the world.

The speaker of the poem describes his experiences with a profound sense of gratitude. He does not eat the peaches thoughtlessly, but instead considers them in detail and even adores them. He considers the peaches in context as something that grew and developed over time before being harvested and brought to the roadside stand where he bought them. At the end of the poem, he reflects on how rare and wonderful such experiences are.

From blossoms comes

this brown paper bag of peaches

we bought from the boy

at the bend in the road where we turned toward

#12

PDF Guide

Nationality:

Themes:

Emotions:

Topics:

Form:

"> 72/100

Ode to Dirt

by Sharon Olds

‘Ode to Dirt’ is an impassioned all for everyone to reevaluate their perception of dirt and learn to appreciate it for its many qualities.

The poem's central message is one of gratitude towards dirt, the surprising nature of which serves only to illustrate the fact that nobody has thanked it before. Olds highlights the cyclical functions of dirt and points out the ways in which it enriches our lives, both literally and figuratively.

Dear dirt, I am sorry I slighted you,

I thought that you were only the background

for the leading characters—the plants

and animals and human animals.

#13

PDF Guide

Nationality:

Themes:

Emotions:

Topics:

Form:

Genre:

"> 72/100

Stars

by Sara Teasdale

‘Stars’ by Sara Teasdale presents nature’s majesty through the sublime beauty and timelessness of stars providing spiritual truth.

After describing the extraordinary stargazing experience, the speaker expresses gratitude for being honored to witness 'so much majesty,' likely towards the power of nature that provides such a tranquil, calming, and otherworldly experience that is always soothing and alleviating during rough times. This gratitude also seems to be a recognition of the grandeur of nature and the universe against which the speaker is minute and insignificant as they are constant and consistent for eons, while for humans, decaying and mortality are inevitable.

And a heaven full of stars

Over my head

White and topaz

And misty red;

#14

PDF Guide

Nationality:

Themes:

Emotions:

Topics:

Form:

"> 72/100

To be of use

by Marge Piercy

Celebrating the beauty of diligence, Marge Piercy’s ‘To be of use’ draws powerful metaphors between humans and enduring animals.

There’s a subtle sense of gratitude in ‘To Be of Use’ for those who contribute to the world through hard work. The speaker appreciates people who “move in a common rhythm” to get important tasks done, such as bringing in food or putting out fires. The poem’s admiration for these workers reflects a deep, underlying gratitude for their contributions, although it’s not the poem’s most dominant emotional focus. It’s more of a quiet acknowledgment of their value and effort.

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.

#15

PDF Guide

Nationality:

Themes:

Emotions:

Topics:

Form:

"> 71/100

Cetacean

by Peter Reading

‘Cetacean’ by Peter Reading describes a speaker’s whale watching experience and the overall grace of the blue whales he observed.

The poem elicits a sense of gratitude for the rare and beautiful moment of witnessing the Blue Whales. Their immense presence in the vast ocean reminds us of how fortunate we are to witness such wonders in nature. This fleeting encounter invites a deeper appreciation for the natural world and the simple beauty it offers.

Out of Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco, Sunday, early,

our vessel, bow to stern, some sixty-three feet,

to observe Blue Whales -and we did, off the Farallones.

They were swimming slowly, and rose at a shallow angle

Home » Collection » Poems about Gratitude

15+ Heartfelt Poems about Gratitude

(15 to start, 250+ to explore)

General

Poetry+

Discover

Useful Links

15+ Heartfelt Poems about Gratitude

(15 to start, 250+ to explore)

by Joyce Kilmer

by Kenn Nesbitt

by Alfred Lord Tennyson

by Patrick Kavanagh

by Grace Nichols

by Gary Soto

by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

by William Blake

by William Matthews

by Judith Wright

by Li-Young Lee

by Sharon Olds

by Sara Teasdale

by Marge Piercy

by Peter Reading

Narrow Your Search

We Look Deep into Poetry

General

Poetry+

Discover

Useful Links