February 25, 2019, by Sunita Tailor

Book review- ‘A Poem For Every Night of the Year’

This blog was written by second year English student, Emily Hall.

If you are a poetry lover, you need to buy this book. If you know a poetry lover, you need to buy them this book! It was given to me by my mum just before Christmas and is absolutely wonderful. The title is rather self-explanatory, and the book contains 365 poems, assigned to each day of the year. Compiled by Allie Esiri, the book has a twin called ‘A poem for every day of the year’ which I will certainly be purchasing. There is something very satisfying about the continuity and regularity of having a poem to read every day, as well as broadening your reading repertoire, and coming across poets which you may not otherwise have heard of.

I have always loved seasonal poetry, words that can encapsulate the cosiness of winter or the burning amber colours of autumn. This book takes this to a new level, as we are treated to poems which all take a different approach or stance to the season it has been allocated. As a self-proclaimed Christmas lover, the poems from December 1^st to 25^th heightened my festive spirit enormously, and as I sat with the book and a hot chocolate, I felt sufficiently content.

The book includes poems of varying forms, from sonnets to haikus to free-verse; it is a poetry lovers Aladdin’s Cave. The range of poets is extraordinary, from the familiar voices of Yeats, Rossetti, Shakespeare to exciting contemporary voices. You are sure to want to look up a few people’s names after scanning through the book.

I try to be strict and read the poems on the correct assigned day, however I would be lying if I said I hadn’t already had a peak to see what the pages of spring and summer hold.  Therefore, it isn’t only entertaining and educational, but also practices your levels of restraint and patience!

Here are some of my favourite poems which I have encountered so far in January and February…

For 3^rd January- The Months by Sara Coleridge

For 14^th January- Doors by Carl Sandburg

For 19^th January- To a Snowdrop by William Wordsworth

For 9^th February- Mix a Pancake by Christina Rossetti

For 13^th February- How Do I Love Thee? By Elizabeth Barrett Browning

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