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Top Poetry Books

1. Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur
   A contemporary classic, Rupi Kaur's debut collection explores love, loss, trauma, and healing through deeply personal poems and illustrations. Celebrated for its accessible language and emotional resonance, it has inspired a new generation of poetry lovers.
2. The Essential Rumi translated by Coleman Barks
   A mesmerizing anthology of poems by the 13th-century Sufi mystic, Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks. These spiritual and philosophical poems on love, longing, and the divine are timeless and universally cherished.
3. The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur
   Rupi Kaur's follow-up to Milk and Honey, this collection journeys through wilting, falling, rooting, rising, and blooming. It offers meditations on growth, ancestry, and self-acceptance, making it a beloved modern bestseller.
4. The Penguin Anthology of Twentieth-Century American Poetry edited by Rita Dove
   Curated by former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove, this comprehensive anthology collects the most influential American poets of the twentieth century, from Robert Frost to Maya Angelou and beyond.
5. Selected Poems by Mary Oliver
   This collection features some of Mary Oliver's most cherished works, showcasing her keen observation of nature and profound insights into human life. Her gentle, powerful voice continues to inspire readers worldwide.
6. The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson
   An unabridged collection of Emily Dickinson's nearly 1,800 poems, revealing the wit, mysticism, and lyricism that have made her one of America's most beloved poets.
7. Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
   Walt Whitman's groundbreaking collection celebrates the human spirit and the American landscape. Known for its innovative free verse and exuberant language, it remains a foundational work of American literature.
8. Ariel by Sylvia Plath
   A haunting, powerful collection, Ariel showcases Sylvia Plath's raw emotion and extraordinary craft. These poems are celebrated for their intensity, vivid imagery, and psychological depth.
9. The Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats
   Spanning Yeats’s career, this comprehensive volume presents his best-loved and most influential poems, blending Irish myth, personal longing, and modernist experimentation.
10. The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes
    A vibrant testament to the Harlem Renaissance, this collection highlights Langston Hughes's influential voice on race, identity, and the Black experience in America.
11. Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver
    A curated selection of Mary Oliver’s poetry, “Devotions” spans her illustrious career, offering spiritual solace and a profound connection to the natural world.
12. The Waste Land and Other Poems by T.S. Eliot
    Featuring the iconic modernist masterpiece “The Waste Land,” this collection cements T.S. Eliot’s reputation for innovation, complexity, and evocative imagery.
13. The Complete Poems by Anne Sexton
    This definitive collection gathers Anne Sexton's intense, confessional poetry, grappling with themes of womanhood, mental health, and transformation with raw honesty.
14. Selected Poems by Pablo Neruda
    An introduction to the Nobel laureate’s passionate, politically charged, and deeply personal poems, translated from the original Spanish with lyrical sensitivity.
15. The Collected Poems of Audre Lorde
    Audre Lorde's poetry fiercely explores identity, injustice, and empowerment. This collection is a vital resource for anyone seeking poetic expression of resistance and hope.
16. The Carrying by Ada Limón
    Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, Limón’s poems explore the complexities of desire, grief, and resilience with grace and musicality.
17. Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine
    Blending poetry, prose, and visual art, Rankine’s book is a potent meditation on race, microaggressions, and the realities of contemporary American life.
18. The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
    A global favorite, Gibran’s poetic essays on love, work, and life’s great mysteries have comforted and inspired readers for generations.
19. Selected Poems by Robert Frost
    An essential collection from one of America’s most beloved poets, featuring classics like “The Road Not Taken” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.”
20. Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong
    Vuong’s acclaimed debut explores family, war, and identity with arresting imagery and vulnerability. Winner of the T.S. Eliot Prize and the Whiting Award.
21. The Collected Poems of Dylan Thomas
    This definitive volume brings together the lush, lyrical works of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, whose evocative language and musicality are unforgettable.
22. Selected Poems by E.E. Cummings
    E.E. Cummings’s innovative use of syntax, punctuation, and form makes his poetry playful, experimental, and enduringly popular among poetry enthusiasts.
23. Selected Poems by William Wordsworth
    A leading figure of the Romantic movement, Wordsworth’s poetry celebrates nature, memory, and the human spirit in beautifully crafted verse.
24. The Odyssey translated by Robert Fagles
    Homer’s epic poem, brought to life in Robert Fagles’s acclaimed translation, is both a foundational literary work and a poetic journey of adventure and homecoming.
25. The Collected Poems by Wallace Stevens
    Stevens’s philosophical and imaginative verse is celebrated for its intellectual rigor and striking imagery, making this collection a must-have for serious readers.
26. The Essential Ginsberg by Allen Ginsberg
    A comprehensive introduction to the iconic Beat poet, including “Howl” and other groundbreaking works of social and spiritual exploration.
27. The Essential Haiku edited by Robert Hass
    This anthology introduces readers to the best of Japanese haiku, featuring works by Bashō, Buson, and Issa, translated with elegance and simplicity.
28. Selected Poems by W.H. Auden
    Auden’s wit, intellect, and technical prowess shine in this selection of his most influential and enduring poems.
29. Selected Poems by John Keats
    Keats’s sensuous, melodic poetry celebrates beauty, love, and mortality, making him one of the most beloved English Romantic poets.
30. Selected Poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley
    Shelley’s passionate verse explores radical politics, nature, and the imagination, cementing his status as a leading Romantic figure.
31. Selected Poems by Lord Byron
    This collection highlights the wit, lyricism, and rebellious spirit that made Byron a literary celebrity and cultural icon of his era.
32. Inferno by Dante Alighieri, translated by Robert Pinsky
    Dante’s epic journey through the realms of hell, rendered in vivid, poetic language in Pinsky’s acclaimed translation. A cornerstone of world literature.
33. The Collected Poems of W.H. Auden
    Gathering a lifetime of Auden’s work, this definitive edition showcases his range, intellect, and lasting influence on twentieth-century poetry.
34. Selected Poems by Elizabeth Bishop
    Bishop’s precise, observant, and emotionally resonant poetry is a touchstone for readers who cherish clarity and quiet power.
35. The Collected Poems of Frank O'Hara
    A leading figure of the New York School, O’Hara’s witty, energetic verse captures the spontaneity and vibrancy of urban life and modern emotion.
36. Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
    A beloved children’s classic filled with whimsical poems and illustrations that delight readers of all ages with their humor and imagination.
37. Selected Poems by Emily Brontë
    Known for her only novel, Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë was also a gifted poet whose passionate, mystical verse is collected here.
38. Don’t Call Us Dead by Danez Smith
    A finalist for the National Book Award, Smith’s poems are urgent, inventive, and unflinching in their exploration of race, queerness, and mortality.
39. Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude by Ross Gay
    Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, Gay’s exuberant poems celebrate joy, connection, and the beauty of everyday life.
40. Bright Dead Things by Ada Limón
    A finalist for both the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award, Limón’s poems are noted for their honesty, clarity, and emotional depth.
41. Selected Poems by Seamus Heaney
    This essential collection from the Nobel laureate captures Heaney’s profound connection to the Irish landscape and his mastery of language.
42. Selected Poems by Sylvia Plath
    A focused selection of Plath’s most striking and unforgettable poems, renowned for their emotional intensity and technical brilliance.
43. The Tradition by Jericho Brown
    Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Brown’s collection confronts masculinity, race, and American identity in poems of remarkable inventiveness and lyricism.
44. Selected Poems by Maya Angelou
    A gathering of Angelou’s most inspiring and influential poems, including “Still I Rise” and “Phenomenal Woman,” celebrating resilience and hope.
45. Selected Poems by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
    Coleridge’s rich imagination and haunting imagery, as in “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” have made him a pillar of English Romantic poetry.
46. Selected Poems by Thomas Hardy
    A selection of Hardy’s moving, thoughtful, and beautifully crafted poems exploring love, fate, and the passage of time.
47. Aimless Love by Billy Collins
    Former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins brings wit, warmth, and accessibility to this collection, making poetry enjoyable for all readers.
48. Selected Poems by Louise Glück
    Nobel Prize winner Louise Glück’s poetry is known for its clarity, emotional intensity, and mythic resonance, all captured in this essential collection.
49. Selected Poems by Federico García Lorca
    Lorca’s haunting, passionate poems, steeped in Spanish culture and tradition, continue to move readers with their lyric beauty and intensity.
50. Selected Poems by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
    This collection features the romantic and socially conscious poetry of Browning, including her beloved “Sonnets from the Portuguese.”
51. Selected Poems by Gwendolyn Brooks
    A Pulitzer Prize winner, Brooks’s poetry is lauded for its sharp social commentary, technical brilliance, and compassionate voice.
52. Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude by Ross Gay
    Ross Gay’s exuberant, joyful celebration of life’s gifts and the everyday moments that connect us all.
53. Selected Poems by Mary Oliver
    Oliver’s keen observations of the natural world and reflections on humanity’s place within it have made her a beloved voice in modern poetry.
54. Selected Poems by Derek Walcott
    Walcott’s lush, lyrical poetry explores Caribbean history, identity, and landscape, earning him the Nobel Prize for Literature.