Leonard Norman Cohen (Montreal, 21 September 1934 – Los Angeles, 7 November 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, poet, writer and composer. Leonard Cohen is considered one of the most famous, influential and appreciated poet and songwriter; in his works Leonard Cohen explores themes such as religion, isolation, depression and sexuality, often turning to the individual.

In this poem, as well as the song he created from the poem “Waiting for the Miracle“, Leonard Cohen tells the story of a man realizing that he has waited “half his life away” for some unattainable ideal, the perfect love. Finally coming to terms with the time lost, he realizes how he has failed to pursue opportunities and live life to the fullest in the ‘NOW’.

Sylvia Plath was an American poet and novelist, best known for her advancement of Confessionalist poetry as a genre through her collections, Colossus and Other Poems, 1960, and Ariel, 1965. Her only novel, The Bell Jar, is a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story which illustrates a young woman finding her way through the world of fashion writing while battling with demons from her past, love and relationships, and recurring bouts of severe mental illness.

Plath moved to England in 1959 with her husband and renown author and poet, Ted Hughes. Their relationship was tumultuous and holds a lot of speculation from supporters and critiques of each writer. Plath underwent several kinds of controversial mental illness treatment throughout her life including multiple episodes of electro-convulsive therapy. She continued to write until she tragically ended her own life at her home in Primrose Hill, London in February 1963.

Mad Girl’s Love Song is a villanelle; A villanelle is a poetic form consisting of nineteen lines: five tercets and a final quantrain. The memorable rhythm of a villanelle is created by its ‘refrain’. This is the first and third line of the opening stanza, which are alternatively repeated as the final line in each tercet, coming together as the final lines at the very end of the poem. The rhyme scheme is ABA x5 ABAA.

As with much of Sylvia Plath's poetry, this poem is confessionalist. In this vein, it is safe to assume that the speaker represents Plath and her personal battle with depression. Many religious references throughout the poem create a lofty and almost dissociated sensation, further impacted by the repetition in the villanelle. Her own beliefs, stated in a feminist essay critiquing the role of religion in oppression is felt within the poem, showing a force seemingly outside of the speaker’s control. However, the refrain shifts the power back into the speaker’s hands, as they ‘shut [their] eyes and all the world drops dead’, implying that the greatest powers and challenges are not external forces, but within the mind.

What do you think of this poem? Have you read any of Sylvia Plath’s works? Let me know in the comments below.

‘To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work’

Described by the New York Times as ‘far and away, [the US’s] best selling poet’, Oliver’s poetry and other writings have been tantalising imaginations since her first publication in 1963. Mary Oliver sadly passed away in January of this year but her writing lives on, breathing and renewing itself with every read.

‘Wild Geese’ is a poem which represents both freedom and community, themes that are often addressed as separate entities. Oliver has a way of connecting the ability to be one’s self with the significance of individuals coming together in unison. It is easy to be inspired by Mary Oliver’s artistic and honest observations of nature. Perhaps looking up and out of ourselves is the best way to understand what’s inside.

How does the poem Wild Geese make you feel about your place in the world? Let me know your opinions in the comments below.

‘Don’t Quit’ by Edgar Albert Guest is a simple poem about facing the difficulties in one’s life and persevering through them. Throughout ‘Don’t Quit,’ American poet Edgar Albert Guest uses simple language and diction to convey an inspirational message to readers. He spends the four stanzas asking readers to persevere no matter how hard their life is. It doesn’t matter what kind of situation one is in. One needs to work hard and never give in to the desire to quit. This is an inspirational poem that should inspire readers to work hard no matter how impossible a situation seems.

In the first stanzas of this poem, the speaker admits that things are going to seem “low” at points in one’s life. One might want to be happy but also have to deal with negative circumstances out of their control. On these occasions, he says, “rest if you must, but don’t you quit.” As the lines progress, the speaker includes several vague descriptions of people who have struggled, quit without knowing how close they were to success. The poem ends on the same note in which it began, inspiring readers to stick through the fight even when “you’re hardest hit.”

The tone is inspirational and determined. The speaker knows that life is hard, but through the lines of this poem, they are seeking to inspire the reader to persevere through the darkest times in their life. It is when things seem the worst that success is the closest.

The central theme of this poem is perseverance. No matter what one is dealing with within their life, it is important to stay strong, confident, and not quit, no matter what the outcome seems to be.

The purpose is to inspire readers to work hard throughout their life, no matter what situation they’re in. Even if they feel as though they are failing at everything they do, it is crucial to see through these failures and know that success is right around the corner.

The speaker is unknown. They are someone who believes in the power of positive thinking and perseverance. If one works hard enough, then they are sure to succeed in every avenue of their life. The exact identity of the speaker is not essential for one’s understanding of the piece as a whole.

Nicholas Breton was an English poet and novelist whose work mainly centred on pastoral, religious and satirical themes. He originated from the small parish of Layer Breton in Essex, hence his name, but his surname has sometimes been written down as Britton or Brittaine. He was born sometime during the year 1545 into a very wealthy family, probably living in the “Capitall Mansion House” in the London parish of St Giles without Cripplegate. His father, William Breton, had made his fortune as a London merchant but he died when Nicholas was 14. His mother remarried, this time to a poet, and it is perhaps here that Nicholas took his inspiration to become a poet himself.

Jane Hirshfield is the author of nine collections of poetry, includingThe Beauty: Poems (Alfred A. Knopf, 2015), which was long listed for the National Book Award. She served as a Chancellorof the Academy of American Poets from 2012 to 2017. This poem strikes as both pre-cataclysmic and hopeful. What a reader finds in a poem is often a mirror, both of the person who is looking and listening and of the particular weather of that particular moment of listening. The poem is, without question, dark: It imagines the judgment of us, of this time, that would come from those who live in a future made by our failures. But it’s also a poem trying to undo its own need to exist. The repetition, over and over of “Let them not say”… the poem’s hope lives in that phrase, midway as it is between prayer and command. If you can still say “Let them not say,” the future is still malleable. The poem also holds a certain tenderness toward our human frailty. We like to be warm. We like to read at night. We like to praise.

Oliver Wendell Holmes, (born Aug. 29, 1809, Cambridge, Mass., U.S. - died Oct. 7, 1894, Cambridge), American physician, poet, and humorist notable for his medical research and teaching, and as the author of the “Breakfast-Table” series of essays. This poem touches the heart of every reader. It is very important to note that this poem is not focused on any usual topic like love, hate or something else. It is well written on writing. The poet is explaining or you can say he is teaching the reader how to write. This poem is surely an inspiration for those who wish to write poem, stories or a book. Poet simply forces them to carry on their behavior. For this he gives ample number of examples as well. He tells why it is important to write and how life can change once you enter the field of writing. This poem is quite long but still never loses its tempo anywhere. The main aim remains same in all stanzas and the poem speaks on writing in miraculous way. The poet is explaining reader how they would feel when they will start writing something. People, out of business and do not want to spend time on pursuing their passion. But it is necessary to take out some time from this schedule and spend it feeling and doing things that really make you happy inside. If you follow poet’s saying then for sure you will realize how beautiful this life is and how happiness is there hidden inside this life. Poet suggests readers to give a beginning and to try writing. For this he says your writing can turn useful and you may get rewarded by money. If reader is not familiar with creating rhyming words then poet shows his eagerness to help them. Poet says creating rhymes is as simple as lying. Poet says writing is very similar to drawing. In the initial stage no artist has any idea about their drawing but still they try and create an eye catching picture. Poet says that you can also write poems in a similar way. Only you need to drive yourself. At one point poet says that if you write then your poem or text can turn into such useful content that it will get used in schools. Students will rehearse your poem. In this way poet tries to inspire readers towards the subject of writing. This makes poem more readable in spite of it being long. In short “A familiar letter” is a lengthy but pleasant poetic explanation of poetry. All terms are well explained providing a good humor to them. This makes it more effective and real. A lot of encouragement lies in this masterwork for those who desire for poetic beauty. They can use this poem as a guide which has all abilities to show exact direction to get started. Poet has won the race in the initiating a person to write and remains a winner till the end of this poem.