If you’ve been following along, I’ve already listed quite a few poetry books. I have A LOT of poetry because I love it. So this really isn’t an issue for me. So I’m just going to look at my bookshelf and choose five titles that catch my eye.

Then, Suddenly by Lynn Emanuel
I read this in college. I reread it. I just love every single poem in this book.

Tender Buttons by Gertrude Stein
Truly an odd work. It’s so abstract and conceptual. Stein wanted to use language by deconstructing our understanding of common words. My main association with this book is reading it aloud over Mexican food with a friend. Approach it by trying not to understand it; just feel and enjoy the ride.

Archie and Mehitabel by Don Marquis
Gifted by a friend, this poetry book is written by a cockroach (Archie) with his fellow feline friend (Mehitabel). Because he’s writing on a typewriter, Archie can’t hit the shift key. Everything is in lowercase. It’s very charming.

Ox by Ryan Ridge
I love good wordplay, and Ridge takes it a minimal as possible by writing book length poetry with mainly the letters “O” and “X.” There’s an actual storyline.

The Poems of Emily Dickinson
Alongside Walt Whitman, they are probably the pillars of American poetry. Dickinson created her own style of verse and expression. You always know when you’re reading Dickinson. She’s exceptional.

Selected Poems by Rabindranath Tagore
The first non-European to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, this translation of selected works introduced me to this interesting Bengali Indian poet. You can check some of his translated work here.