The Academy of American Poets Recommends 21 Poems for Mother’s Day 2021

Sharing poems on Mother's Day is a special way to honor the mothers and mother figures we know, whether or not it’s possible to visit with loved ones in person. For the upcoming occasion, the Academy of American Poets and Poets.org recommends 21 popular poems from its collection to help celebrate and remember these individuals:

Classic:

Elizabeth Akers Allen, “Rock Me to Sleep”

Edna St. Vincent Millay, “The courage that my mother had”

Edgar Allen Poe, “To My Mother” 

Alexander Posey, “Mother and Baby”

Lola Ridge, “Mother” 

Christina Rossetti, “To my Mother”

Robert Louis Stevenson, “To My Mother”

Contemporary:

Ellen Bass, “Indigo”

Erin Belieu, “Another Poem for Mothers”

Wanda Coleman, “Dear Mama (4)”

Katie Condon, “Big with Dawn”

Angelo Geter, “Wonder Woman”

Lupe Mendez, “La suavecita”

Li-Young Lee, “I Ask My Mother to Sing”

Poems of Remembrance:

Dorianne Laux, “My Mother’s Colander” 

Lisel Mueller, “When I Am Asked”

Kiki Petrosino, “Ghosts”

Stanley Plumly, ”At Night“

Luther Hughes , “My Mother, My Mother” 

Paul Celan, “Aspen Tree”

David Young, “Mother’s Day” 

Read the full press release.