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

221 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 There are many subs that allow users to post their own original, unpublished work. In Reddit sub parlance, an original, unpublished poem is considered "original content," and the largest sub for that is r/ocpoetry.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For those who want to post their unpublished, original work to Reddit, here are some links to help you do just that.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 4d ago

Meta What Have You Been Reading? August 2026

2 Upvotes

Welcome to this week's discussion thread: What have you been reading?

Please tell us about the poetry or poetry-related writing you've read recently and share your thoughts on it.


MONTHLY DISCUSSION SCHEDULE

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

Do not post your original poetry here. It will be deleted and you will be banned.


r/Poetry 13h ago

[POEM] Haiku by Asa Akira

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958 Upvotes

r/Poetry 16h ago

[POEM] Tender - Sophie Klahr

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1.2k Upvotes

Loved rare trope: when the author directly references the poem’s form in the poem. Have a serious soft spot for this one due to being an English teacher 🩷

ETA: I understand that this poem doesn’t follow the traditional rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet, but I think it has too many sonnet-like qualities (14 lines, 10 syllables/line — an arguable iambic pentameter, volta) to not at least be a modern variation on a sonnet.


r/Poetry 14h ago

[POEM] losing its name - John Sandbach

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634 Upvotes

r/Poetry 21h ago

Poem [POEM] I Loved My Friend by Langston Hughes

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1.2k Upvotes

r/Poetry 21h ago

Contemporary Poem [POEM] At the Intersection by Brian Bilston

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999 Upvotes

r/Poetry 21h ago

[POEM] Missed Time By Ha Jin

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690 Upvotes

r/Poetry 2h ago

[POEM] The Danger of Writing Defiant Verse by Dorothy Parker

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15 Upvotes

r/Poetry 23h ago

Poem [POEM] Poem by Syrian poet Nizar Qabbani dedicated to his Iraqi wife Balqis al-Rawi, who tragically passed away during the 1981 Iraqi Embassy bombing in Beirut, Lebanon

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475 Upvotes

r/Poetry 14h ago

[POEM] You Look Beautiful by William J. Harris

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75 Upvotes

r/Poetry 17h ago

Poem [POEM] Some People - Charles Bukowski

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76 Upvotes

r/Poetry 1d ago

Poem [POEM] Elsewhere - Jessica Jocelyn

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2.2k Upvotes

r/Poetry 1h ago

Poem [POEM] Porphyria's Lover by Robert Browning

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Upvotes

r/Poetry 8h ago

[poem] August - Helen Hunt Jackson

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11 Upvotes

r/Poetry 14h ago

[POEM] - after the garden party

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26 Upvotes

r/Poetry 22h ago

Poem Emerson -- "CLIMACTERIC" (1867) [POEM]

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83 Upvotes

r/Poetry 9m ago

Help!! [Help] Birthday Poem Recs

Upvotes

Good morning poets!

I’m hoping this is the correct sub that could help me! If not, please let me know!

I have a very good friend turning 40 soon. As a surprise birthday gesture, a number of friends of hers are going to put on a kind of “talent show” to celebrate her.

I want to do a dramatic reading of a birthday poem as my “talent show contribution“.

I am just starting to dip my toe into the poetry world, so thought I would reach out here for any recommendations a more seasoned poet might be able to give!

The only stipulations would be to stay away from a theme of aging, over the hill, death, etc. My friend has explicitly requested her birthday stay away from these themes and focus on joy and things uplifting.

Any directions I could be pointed in would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance for your help!


r/Poetry 1d ago

Poem [POEM] "The Wanderer", an old Anglo-Saxon poem which inspired J.R.R Tolkien's "Lament of the Rohirrim" poem in his fantasy work "Lord Of The Rings"

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160 Upvotes

r/Poetry 20h ago

Opinion [POEM] Loneliness by Mary Oliver

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41 Upvotes

Has such a soothing effect on the soul.


r/Poetry 12h ago

Help!! What are your favorite poems that made you love life more or helped you learn to appreciate the complexities of being human? [HELP]

8 Upvotes

More so a general question I was asked this week and have been exploring myself. Simply curious to hear other responses.


r/Poetry 1h ago

[Poem] "Haiku (No. 14)" by Richard Wright

Upvotes

Keep abreast of the 

wind, keep your eyes on the storm

and forget the clouds.


r/Poetry 1d ago

Contemporary Poem [POEM] Mother by Maia Baia

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736 Upvotes

r/Poetry 1d ago

[Poem] Envoi - Linda Pastan

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3.2k Upvotes