r/Poetry • • Apr 11 '23

MOD POST [META] Posting your own poems here -- when to post and when to head to one of our sibling subreddits

225 Upvotes

This sub is for published poems. There are many subs that allow users to post their own original, unpublished work. In Reddit sub parlance, an original, unpublished poem is considered "original content," and the largest sub for that is r/ocpoetry. There are still some posting rules there -- users must actively participate in the sub in order to post their own work there. A few subs don't require such engagement. There are links to both types of subs below.

Now, what about published poems? We have a large community here -- almost 2 million members. There have to be a few actively publishing poets in our ranks, and I want to build a community of sharing here without being overwhelmed by first-ever-poem posts by people who write something, decide to go find the poetry sub and post it. As it is, even with the rule on OC poetry being in the sidebar, we still remove those posts every single day.

If you've published a poem in a journal or a lit mag, please feel free to post it here, with a link to the publication it appeared in. I'm also going to start a regular monthly thread for r/poetry users who want to share their published work with us. We don’t consider posting to Instagram or some other platform alone to be “published.”

For those who want to post their unpublished, original work to Reddit, here are some links to help you do just that.

tl;dr: If your poem hasn’t been published anywhere, you can’t post it here. If your poem has been published somewhere, please post it here!

Poetry subreddits that expect feedback:

Subreddits that do not require commentary on your peers' work:


r/Poetry • • 21h ago

Local & Regional Poetry Scene Talk, October 2026

2 Upvotes

Welcome to this week's discussion thread: Local & regional poetry scenes!

What is your local poetry scene like?

What are some poetry events you've attended recently? Been to any good open mic nights? What are some poetry events coming up that you're looking forward to?

If you have relevant links to videos, websites, etc., about in-person poetry goings-on feel free to post those in the comments too. (Try not to make it look spammy, though, or it'll get caught in reddit's anti-spam filters.)

Do not post your own poetry as a text comment. It will be deleted and you will be banned.


MONTHLY DISCUSSION SCHEDULE

  • What Have You Been Reading?
  • Publication Talk
  • Local/Regional Scenes
  • Classical & Ancient Poetry
  • Miscellaneous

r/Poetry • • 4h ago

Poem [poem] Nazım Hikmet - The Most Beautiful Sea hasn’t been Crossed yet

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96 Upvotes

r/Poetry • • 1h ago

[POEM] Only as the Day is Long - Dorianne Laux

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• Upvotes

r/Poetry • • 11h ago

[POEM] Someday I’ll Love Ocean Vuong - Ocean Vuong

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72 Upvotes

The spine part alludes to being an angel right? what pretty line - wherever your mother's shadow fall!! This whole thing is such beautiful longing to be something!!


r/Poetry • • 20h ago

Poem [poem] Bukowski - art

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264 Upvotes

r/Poetry • • 8h ago

Poem [poem] untitled by Mrs. Browning

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22 Upvotes

r/Poetry • • 1h ago

Poem [POEM] - The Sleeping Brute by William Carlos Williams (1940)

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• Upvotes

r/Poetry • • 12h ago

Poem [Poem] The Cold Within by James Patrick Kinney

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34 Upvotes

r/Poetry • • 25m ago

Poem [POEM] “Whose child is this child?” By Ibn Insha

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• Upvotes

A humble attempt to translate a masterpiece. One of the most profound poem I have ever read in my life. A painful reminder of the asymmetrical world we live in💔.

I have tried to stay true to the original . I am also reproducing the actual Urdu text for those who appreciate the actual Urdu poetry!

Freedom for everyone and love and peace for everyone 🦋🙏🕊️


r/Poetry • • 2h ago

[POEM] House Fear - Anders Carlson-Wee

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4 Upvotes

r/Poetry • • 13h ago

[Poem] The Traveller Has Regrets by G. S. Fraser

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25 Upvotes

r/Poetry • • 8h ago

Poem [Poem] Thinking of Madame Bovary by Jane Kenyon

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9 Upvotes

r/Poetry • • 6h ago

[Help] Poem for soothing the sting of rejection

3 Upvotes

I got rejected in 2 job interviews and want to read something that will help me accept the rejection and move on. All my fellow classmates seem to be getting placed so I also have this insecurity and feelings of envy and I want a poem that will help me resolve these feelings


r/Poetry • • 9h ago

[POEM] CINQUE TERRE by Kenneth Rexroth

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4 Upvotes

r/Poetry • • 1d ago

Help!! [HELP] Whats a good poem to threaten my friend with?

257 Upvotes

plan to beat the brakes off my friend in Super Mario Strikers tonight. Looking for some good threatening poetry to send him informing him of his incoming defeat and weaken his resolve.


r/Poetry • • 1d ago

[POEM] Chainsaw by MARIE HOWE

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56 Upvotes

r/Poetry • • 18h ago

[poem] Lovely Trees - Clare Pollard

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11 Upvotes

That first autumn our home was ugly with dust;
infuriating with boxes, planks,
buckets we used to flush the loo.
We had no curtains.

Bed-level, you couldn’t see the building site.
We’d wake to a square of tree against sky —
leaves yellow as Pasteis de Nata;
dawn-lit paper lanterns.

On one branch a caught plastic-bag breathed;
on another pigeons, still trying to nap,
kept themselves tucked in —
plump grey jugs.
A great-tit would jiggle, head tilted
as though in understanding.

And below, of course, roots were gagging the drains,
graffiti-ing lightning on walls,
teasing cracks for rats,

and we knew, come New Year, the trees had to be felled —
just as we had to plaster, scrub, paint,
rewire, maintain, move on…

But still, each day you’d wake up
to those glowing tatters and smile.
Say: the tree looks lovelier every day.
And I’d nod, and push thoughts of winter away,
as all lovers must refuse the thought of winter.


r/Poetry • • 15h ago

Help!! New poetry enjoyer looking for the greatest poems or collectionsof all time [HELP]

6 Upvotes

​

New to reading poetry 32M and looking for a collection or suggestions of the greatest and most iconic or influential poems ever made

I recently found Darkness by Lord Byron and that was so good

Bonus points if I can get it all in one collection for my Kindle or paperback

Thanks guys :)


r/Poetry • • 4h ago

Help!! I need your help [Help] [Poetry]

0 Upvotes

I’m in speech and debate, I am desperately looking for lengthy poems over child abuse. I’ve been looking and the only good ones I’ve found have been anonymous. All recommendations are just a big help!!


r/Poetry • • 1d ago

[POEM] Lust (I) by Natasha Oladokun

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203 Upvotes

r/Poetry • • 5h ago

[Help] Please help me find this poem!

1 Upvotes

It was about Lazarus, with a mood of dark bitterness/irony, emphasizing the horror of being brought back, the stench and decay of his resurrected body.

I'm pretty sure it was short, just a stanza or two, less than a page (unless I was just seeing an excerpt from something longer). I think at least part of it was in question form. (Like, a poetic way of saying, "Did Lazarus stink and feel bad about this experience?")

I think it was more modern in its speech. Didn't strike me as an older piece.

Thank you!


r/Poetry • • 1d ago

Poem [POEM] Hypatia of Alexandria, from Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

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49 Upvotes

r/Poetry • • 21h ago

Poem [Poem] O Dreamy, Gloomy, Friendly Trees! by Herbert Trench

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17 Upvotes

r/Poetry • • 1d ago

Poem A Thought, John Clare [POEM]

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69 Upvotes