Learn English - British Council

	This page is no longer being updated. See previous poems of the week. Or read and listen to lots more poems (by famous poets and also LearnEnglish users).

	A Glass of Wine Andrew Motion became the UK's Poet Laureate in 1999. Listen to Motion read his poem and then describe the feelings that inspired it. "It's about sitting in the garden with my wife at the end of the summer, in other words a poem I wrote very recently. Feeling happy.."
	A Trip without End A learner of English from Spain, Ana Jiménez Martín, has written a poem about what it is like to learn a new language. Her poem describes it as making a journey that doesn't have an end.
	A wall in Naples This poem by Andrew Motion was inspired by a Thomas Jones painting in London's "National Gallery" in which Motion reflects upon the enduring value of artistic creation.
	About Getting the Exact Word in English Miguel Ángel Muñoz Lobo is a young learner of English from Madrid in Spain. Read his poem which is about what it is like to find the exact word in English. Have you ever felt the same way?
	English Lesson Robert Seatter, who has been an English teacher, an actor and a journalist, now works with the BBC. His poem English Lesson takes us vividly into the midst of an English lesson for adult learners. Read the poem, listen to the poet reading it and say it aloud. How does it compare with your own English lessons?
	Fridge Magnet Love Poems Play fridge magnet poetry and send us your love poems. Here's one example to start...
	I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud This famous poem by William Wordsworth (1770-1850) was inspired by the Spring flower, the yellow, or golden daffodil.
	It Wouldn't Do This poem was written by John Kay, who was the winner of the recent White Adder International EFL Poetry Competiton. He teaches English and trains teachers in Bournemouth, England. His poem treats an important theme in a humorous way. It also links the theme to a well-known point of English grammar. What is the theme and what is the grammar point?
	Learning a Language What does learning a new language feel like to you? Writer and English language teacher Olivia McMahon, who lives in Scotland, is also a poet. Read and listen to her poem. Say it aloud. Is this how it feels to you?
	No This poem by Thomas Hood takes a negative view of winter in a cold, urban climate, but expresses it with a nice sense of humour. Read on...
	Ozymandias This poem was written in 1818 by the famous Romantic poet Shelley. In this poem Shelley reflects on the nature of political power, and those who hold it.
	Poetry as a Foreign Language Mike Ramsden works in Muscat in Oman and wrote Poetry as a Foreign Language while he was in Yemen.
	The Alphabet This poem was written by Eduardo González Chillón, who is a student at the British Institute for Young Learners in Madrid, Spain.
	The Bright Dresses Here is another poem by Robert Seatter. This poem also mentions teaching English but it is a very different kind of poem. It conveys powerful emotions through observation of impersonal details which in a different context would be trivial or even banal; here we have shoes in shoe shops, bright dresses, the artificial language of an English lesson. Somehow, they resonate with strong feelings.
	The White Room This lovely short poem was written by a learner of English, Irene Soriano Flórez, a student at the British Institute for Young Learners in Madrid.
	To Autumn For those living in the northern hemisphere, the weather will be getting colder as we enter the season of autumn, or "fall" as it is called in the USA. This season often arouses feelings of loss and melancholy. However, in his ode To Autumn, John Keats, the great poet of the early nineteenth century whose own life was so brief, the end of summer is not a cause for sadness but for celebration, of the wonderful fruitfulness of nature on the brink of decay.
	To Travel Edjane Harris comes from Brazil, has worked in Senegal and now lives in Thailand. She paints and teaches dance, Spanish and English. Read her poem To Travel and listen to it. Pretend you are the speaker and say it aloud. Do you agree with what the speaker says about language and travel?
	Wolves This poem is written by Jim Scrivener, who trains teachers of English in Budapest, Hungary.
	Your Love Poems: 1 Read two love poems sent to us by Lina Al-Adnani from Jordan. Can you write one too?
	Your Love Poems: 2 Read three more love poems sent to us by learners in Lebanon, Austria and the USA.
	Your Love Poems: 3 Read five love poems sent to us by learners from Croatia, Egypt, Pakistan and China.
	Your Love Poems: 4 Read three love poems sent to us by learners from Pakistan, the Lebanon and Tanzania.
	Your Love Poems: 5 Read five love poems sent to us by learners from round the world.
	Your Love Poems: 6 Read three love poems sent to us by learners from round the world.
	Your Poem: Murder This poem is called Murder! and has been sent to us by Lisa Chen from China. Thanks Lisa!
	Your poem: Pasta with Breadcrumbs This is a poem by Elisabetta Zezza from Itay and it is called Pasta with Breadcrumbs.
	Your Poem: Stars and Moon This is a poem by Nikita Atreya from India and it is called Stars and Moon.
	Your Poems Read more poems sent to us by learners from Pakistan, Greece, Japan, Estonia and Kazakhstan. And read a poem inspired by the belly dance!
	Your poems (2) Read seven more poems sent to us by learners from round the world.
	Your Poems about Childhood Read five poems about childhood. The first is Oh Child! by Mireille Moukarzel of Lebanon, and the others are Summer! by Sultana Haider of Pakistan, No Longer a Child and Child in War by Lisa Chen from China and My School Days by Habib Ur Rehman Abbasi of Pakistan.
	Your Poems: Love and Illness Read two of your poems. The Poem by Mireille Moukarzel of Lebanon, and Just a Job They Say by Sherry Blaylock.
	Your Poems: Spring Here is two seasonal poem from Hiroko Okawa of Japan - a poem dedicated to the cherry blossoms and another poem called Jade

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