What is a good serious poem?

Question:im trying to think of a serious poem... we have to write about it for school. any good ideas?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: im trying to think of a serious poem... we have to write about it for school. any good ideas?

ah! do i love serious poems. if they're allowed to be a bit dark. i mean this is art afterall. :-)

dylan thomas, welsh poet, died around 1950 and wrote some of the most amazing poetry of his century. he was an alcoholic and drank himself to death when still fairly young. his poetry is passionate and melodic and sometimes it rocks. check out these poems (all available in lots of places online, just google them):

fern hill (his most famous, about creation / growing out of innocence)

death shall have no dominion (pretty self-explanatory)

the hand that signed the paper (social / war criticism, this one might be good if you're into politics or ideology)

being but men (a short poem about losing the innocence and wonder of youth. this might be a good choice if you only have a short essay to write. also pretty straightforward and beautiful images.)

hope this helps! :-)

The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner
by Randall Jarrell

From my mother's sleep I fell into the State,
And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze.
Six miles from earth, loosed from the dream of life,
I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters.
When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose.

"The Soldier" by Rupert Brook, or
"Abou Ben Adam" by James Henry Leigh Hunt

Find them on the web via Google