Famous Publicly Poems by Famous Poets

These are examples of famous Publicly poems written by some of the greatest and most-well-known modern and classical poets. PoetrySoup is a great educational poetry resource of famous publicly poems. These examples illustrate what a famous publicly poem looks like and its form, scheme, or style (where appropriate).

See also:

O Bitter Sprig! Confession Sprig!

by Walt Whitman
 O BITTER sprig! Confession sprig! 
In the bouquet I give you place also—I bind you in, 
Proceeding no further till, humbled publicly, 
I give fair warning, once for all. 

I own that I have been sly, thievish, mean, a prevaricator, greedy, derelict,
And I own that I remain so yet. 

What foul thought but I think it—or have in me...Read more of this...

Love Letter Written In A Burning Building

by Anne Sexton
 I am in a crate, the crate that was ours,
full of white shirts and salad greens,
the icebox knocking at our delectable knocks,
and I wore movies in my eyes,
and you wore eggs in your tunnel,
and we played sheets, sheets, sheets
all day, even in the bathtub like lunatics.
But today I set the bed afire
and smoke is filling the room,
it is getting...Read more of this...

Days of 1986

by Carolyn Kizer
 He was believed by his peers to be an important poet,
But his erotic obsession, condemned and strictly forbidden,
Compromised his standing, and led to his ruin. 

Over sixty, and a father many times over,
The objects of his attention grew younger and younger:
He tried to corrupt the sons of his dearest friends;
He pressed on them drinks and drugs,
And of course he...Read more of this...

Just Keep Quiet and Nobody Will Notice

by Ogden Nash
 There is one thing that ought to be taught in all the colleges,
Which is that people ought to be taught not to go around always making apologies.
I don't mean the kind of apologies people make when they run over you or borrow five dollars or step on your feet,
Because I think that is sort of sweet;
No, I object to...Read more of this...

The New Poetry Handbook

by Mark Strand
 1 If a man understands a poem,
 he shall have troubles.

2 If a man lives with a poem,
 he shall die lonely.

3 If a man lives with two poems,
 he shall be unfaithful to one.

4 If a man conceives of a poem,
 he shall have one less child.

5 If a man conceives of two poems,
 he shall have two...Read more of this...

Sex Goddess

by Maggie Estep
 I am THE SEX GODDESS OF THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE 
so don't mess with me 
I've got a big bag full of SEX TOYS 
and you can't have any
'cause they're all mine
'cause I'm
the SEX GODDESS OF THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE.


"Hey," you may say to yourself, 
"who the hell's she tryin' to kid, 
she's no sex goddess," 
But trust me, 
I am...Read more of this...

James Simmons R.i.p

by Barry Tebb
 You were the one I wanted most to know

So like yet unlike, like fire and snow,

The casual voice, the sharp invective,

The barbed wit, the lapsed Irish Protestant

Who never gave a ****, crossed the palms

Of the great and good with coins hot with contempt

For the fakers and the tricksters whose poetry

Deftly bent to fashion’s latest slant.



You wrote from the heart,...Read more of this...

Dont forget to view our wonderful member Publicly poems.

Get a Premium Membership
Turn off ads, get more exposure for your poetry, and get more features with a Premium Membership.
Book: Diverse Voices: The Poetry of Human Rights and the Pursuit of Peace