He Never Expected Much

Don’t look back in anger, advises Thomas Hardy; but is he hiding deeper regrets?

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The Spirit is too Blunt an Instrument

Anne Stevenson’s philosophical poem asks what it means to be truly alive.

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Charles Tennyson Turner finds himself unexpectedly moved by a tiny tragedy.

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Edward Thomas’ not-quite-a-war poem inspired by a tempestuous downpour.

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Boey Kim Cheng reveals the sinister side of relentless urbanisation in his poem that delivers a timely warning.

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Vachel Lindsay laments a vanished way of life.

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Thomas Hardy’s poem is touching – but also troubling when he rewrites the past.

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Armies of ignorance conquer all in Matthew Arnold’s dark and disturbing vision of the world.

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Adrienne Rich’s mysterious poem suggests we all have something to make up for – but what?

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Whatever you do, don’t pity Edna St Vincent Millay for her broken heart.

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