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Occasional verse poetry is composed for specific occasions or events. The content and tone can vary widely depending on the circumstance: a birthday poem might be celebratory and joyful, a poem commemorating a tragedy might be somber and reflective.
These poems can serve as snapshots of a particular moment in time, capturing the emotions, attitudes, and zeitgeist of that period. They offer an intimate engagement with the world, transforming the personal or public milestones into shared emotional experiences.
Whether humorous, solemn, celebratory, or critical, occasional verse helps to crystallize memories and mark the passage of time.
‘The Silver Flask’ by John Montague recounts the poet’s family reunion and their journey to Ireland after twenty years to celebrate Christmas.
The family circle briefly restored
nearly twenty lonely years after
that last Christmas in Brooklyn,
Amanda Gorman’s poem ‘The Hill We Climb’ is a moving depiction of the United States as it was on the cusp of President Biden’s inauguration in 2021.
When day comes we ask ourselves,
where can we find light in this never-ending shade?
The loss we carry,
a sea we must wade.
‘This Sacred Scene’ is a powerful and inspiring call for Americans who wish to overcome division and hate to make the country a better place.
We gather at this hallowed place because we believe in the American dream.
We face a race that tests if this country we cherish shall perish from the earth and if our earth shall perish from this country.
It falls to us to ensure that we do not fall, for a people that cannot stand together, cannot stand at all.
We are one family, regardless of religion, class, or color.
‘An Easter Wish’ by John L. Sarna celebrates resurrection, hope, and the joyous transformation from darkness to light during Easter.
May the sun rise early and be bright
on this Easter holy day...
For the Lord has subdued the night
and saved us from death's decay.
‘Charge of the Light Brigade’ by Alfred Lord Tennyson is a historically important poem that tells of the incredible bravery of the British cavalry during the Battle of Balaclava.
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
‘On the Pulse of Morning’, famous till today for the emotive and forceful recitation of the poem by Maya Angelou, is one of the U.S. presidential inauguration poems.
A Rock, A River, A Tree
Hosts to species long since departed,
Marked the mastodon,
The dinosaur, who left dried tokens
‘The Flag Goes By’ by Henry Holcomb Bennett is a patriotic American poem that focuses on the symbolism of the American flag. It encourages those reading to respect the flag as a symbol.
Hats off!
Along the street there comes
A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums,
A dash of color beneath the sky:
Hats off!
The flag is passing by!
‘A Brave and Startling Truth’ by Maya Angelou is a commonly quoted poem about humanity’s future. The poet alludes to the “truth” that humanity will arrive at when “we” realize we are the one true wonder of the world.
We, this people, on a small and lonely planet
Traveling through casual space
Past aloof stars, across the way of indifferent suns
To a destination where all signs tell us
‘Parades, Parades’ by Derek Walcott is an interesting, allusion-filled poem that discusses Saint Lucia after the end of British colonial rule.
There's the wide desert, but no one marches
except in the pads of old caravans,
there is the ocean, but the keels incise
the precise, old parallels,
Pope’s ‘Who’s for the Game’ portrays World War I as a thrilling challenge of bravery for one’s nation, urging young men to join the cause.
Who’s for the game, the biggest that’s played,
The red crashing game of a fight?
Who’ll grip and tackle the job unafraid?
And who thinks he’d rather sit tight?
‘Country Lover’ by Maya Angelou is a blues-inspired poem that uses the rhythm of music to depict a country dance scene.
Funky blues
Keen toed shoes
High water pants
Saddy night dance
The poem used in the Nationwide advert, ‘The Birth of the Building Society’ by Stephen Morrison-Burke, was written to tell the origin story of building societies. It also seeks to differentiate them from banks in customer’s eyes.
no hidden agendas.
Just a simple system that existed solely for the benefit of its members.
‘On Easter Day’ by Oscar Wilde asks readers to consider how Christian teachings align with the modern-day Pope. It’s about the importance of not putting man-made desires and institutions ahead of God.
The silver trumpets rang across the Dome:
The people knelt upon the ground with awe:
And borne upon the necks of men I saw,
Like some great God, the Holy Lord of Rome.
‘Earthrise’ by Amanda Gorman is a powerful contemporary poem about climate change, the Apollo 8 mission to the moon, and the future of the Earth.
We’ve known (Stanza 4)
That we’re caught in the throes
Of climactic changes some say
Will just go away,
‘The Miracle of Morning’ by Amanda Gorman is a direct message of hope in the face of suffering. Specifically, Gorman uses this poem to discuss the coronavirus pandemic and its outcome.
I thought I’d awaken to a world in mourning.
Heavy clouds crowding, a society storming.
But there’s something different on this golden morning.
Something magical in the sunlight, wide and warming.
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