Poems for summer:
A poetry discussion by Kate O’Brien.
As the sunny days start creeping in, I’ve found myself reading different poems all about this season.
Personally, I prefer winter. There’s something magic in the colder air in my opinion, however I have always loved dreamy summer nights. There is a sense of freedom and romance that is always associated with summer. I think it comes from when we’re young and we can’t wait for school to end for the year so we can do what we want during the summer holidays. Nights get longer and brighter, usually kids get to stay up later, and there is a sense of joy that comes with knowing that you have time to do whatever you want. That changes as we get older, that guaranteed summer break is not always guaranteed when we’re working etc., however I do believe that the ideas of freedom and fun will always be associated with the summertime.
Poetry can scare a lot of people, but poems don’t have to be intimidating. They can be short and sweet, and very easy to read, and sometimes a poem can just say exactly the right things and make you feel something. Happy, sad, in love, giddy, anything, but whatever the feeling, a poem can make you feel connected in just a few words.
So with that being said, I’m listing four of my favourite poems for the summer and hopefully after reading this list, you’ll feel inspired to read them too!
Fireflies in the Garden by Robert Frost.
Ah Frost, perhaps the ultimate nature poet.
This poem is so short and so sweet that it is only one stanza long. A perfect starter poem for those who don’t want anything too long. It is a lovely poem about summer nights, starry skies, and fireflies. Easy, and very sweet. I always manage to seek it out every summer. It is classed as a children’s poem so it is perfect for younger readers too.
Summer’s Melody by Eden T. Copeland.
A beautiful, quite lyrical poem all about the beauty and magic of summer. The way the sun glitters off the water, the way the air is sweeter as it is filled with bright, summery scents, the way everything feels lighter, almost like a song.
This is a poem that is sure to put you in a summery mood.
A Time of Freedom by Abbey Silent.
Another poem that captures that sense of freedom that arrives alongside June. This idea of fun and freedom and longing for that feeling is a common theme among poems about summer. This poem dives into how we throw our cares away in the summer and celebrates that wild, outgoing sprit found in the season.
Summer Solstice by Stacie Cassarino.
This is a love poem, and while all poems can be interpreted differently, I’ve always felt that this was a poem about unrequited love, about someone who is trying to understand what love is and how to experience it themselves. The speaker describes their love as a bright, green day in June, and so I’ve always felt that this poem plays with that sense of romance that is often associated with summer. People can long for the summer, and I think that this poem’s speaker describes the person they love in a longing, slightly out of reach way. They describe them in a way that is not permanent, which is fitting because summer is wild, free, romantic, and fun, but it is also fleeting.
I’m going to keep it simple and stop here after four poems.
I hope that you’ll be inspired by this list and hopefully you might come across other summer poems that you will enjoy too.
The above listed poems are just a few examples of poems that caught my attention because in some way or another, they touched at my emotions and made me feel something, and I feel that each poem mentioned above does have an innate summer feeling about it. When I’m reading poetry, I usually visit the Poetry Foundation.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/
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