Poetry can be full of light and laughter—everything that makes the world good and happy. But it is also an avenue for the macabre, the melancholic, and the mysterious.
Everyone’s thoughts and emotions turn dark sometimes, and one of the best ways to safely let that negativity out is to read or listen to equally dark subjects. These methods of contemplation allow us achieve catharsis through careful introspection.
Best Dark Poems
Typically, dark poems fall under two categories: poems featuring the actual darkness and poems that deal with darkness and its emotional ties. In some cases, dark poems even turn into narratives of pure horror.
Below is a list of poems that showcase darkness in all its forms. You can find poems that pay tribute to the night or express the burdens of death, suffering, grief, and any other negative emotions.
1. “Mirror” by Kajal Ahmad, translated by Michael R. Burch
Ahmad speaks of the inverse values that dictators exercise during their rule. Those who merit greatness are brought low, while those who bend to dictatorial rule flourish.
My era's obscuring mirror shattered because it magnified the small and made the great seem insignificant. Dictators and monsters filled its contours.
Enjoy the full poem here.
2. “Old Photographs” by Gabeba Baderoon
Baderoon explores the traces that people leave in one another’s lives. Here, the speaker looks at an old photograph of her partner taken by his ex-lover and muses about the events that lead to their breakup.
On my desk is a photograph of you taken by the woman who loved you then. In some photos her shadow falls in the foreground. In this one, her body is not that far from yours. Did you hold your head that way because she loved it?
Enjoy the full poem here.
3. “At the Gate” by Henrik Nordbrandt
How does it feel when the person you love the most is already gone? Nordbrandt creates an accurate representation about the grief that follows a loved one’s death.
You are gone.Three words. And not oneof themexists now in anyother context.
Enjoy the full poem here.
4. “Upon a Child That Died” by Robert Herrick
The death of a child could be the most tragic of all deaths. The briefness of their lives and their unfulfilled potential weighs heavier on the mind compared to an older person who has had a chance to experience living.
Here she lies, a pretty bud,Lately made of flesh and blood,Who as soon fell fast asleepAs her little eyes did peep.Give her strewings, but not stirThe earth that lightly covers her.
5. “Acquainted with the Night” by Robert Frost
Robert Frost cautions against distancing yourself from people and your emotions, which can lead to a rift between you and everything else, forcing you to live an unhappy life.
I have been one acquainted with the night.I have walked out in rain—and back in rain.I have outwalked the furthest city light.I have looked down the saddest city lane.I have passed by the watchman on his beatAnd dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.
Enjoy the full poem here.
6. “Minstrel Man” by Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes laments the perception that black people had no interests and were content with living the restricted lives imposed on them because of their skin color.
Because my mouthIs wide with laughterAnd my throatIs deep with song,You do not thinkI suffer afterI have held my painSo long.
Enjoy the full poem here or if you’re interested in more poems by Langston Hughes, you can check out our list of his best poems.
7. “The Sick Rose” by William Blake
Blake speaks of a rose, a symbol of love and beauty being destroyed by an insidious worm. The poem’s meaning can be interpreted in many ways, the most common being the rape of a beautiful woman.
Has found out thy bedOf crimson joy:And his dark secret loveDoes thy life destroy.
Read the full poem here.
8. “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe
Poe speaks of the trauma that occurs when your loved one dies. You remain in stasis, coping with the reality that the person is gone while simultaneously rejecting the truth.
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before; But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token, And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, “Lenore?”This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, “Lenore!”—Merely this and nothing more.
Enjoy the full poem here.
9. “Windigo” by Louise Erdrich
Written from the monster’s perspective, this poem describes the abduction of a child from his home. The ending is left ambiguous, forcing you to make your own assumptions about the child’s fate.
You knew I was coming for you, little one,when the kettle jumped into the fire.Towels flapped on the hooks,and the dog crept off, groaning,to the deepest part of the woods.
Enjoy the full poem here.
10. “I felt a Funeral, in my Brain” by Emily Dickinson
This is a poem about going mad; when you slowly lose your grip on reality and feel sanity sliding away. The poem’s structure, odd even by Dickinson’s standards, represent a person’s thoughts growing more turbulent as their minds increasingly deteriorate.
I felt a Funeral, in my Brain,And Mourners to and froKept treading - treading - till it seemedThat Sense was breaking through -
Enjoy the full poem here.
11. “The Vampire” by Conrad Aiken
Aiken describes the coming of a great evil and the choices men make to survive. This is a poem of death clothed in beauty and the seductiveness of power.
She rose among us where we lay. She wept, we put our work away. She chilled our laughter, stilled our play; And spread a silence there. And darkness shot across the sky, And once, and twice, we heard her cry; And saw her lift white hands on high And toss her troubled hair. What shape was this who came to us, With basilisk eyes so ominous, With mouth so sweet, so poisonous, And tortured hands so pale? We saw her wavering to and fro, Through dark and wind we saw her go; Yet what her name was did not know; And felt our spirits fail.
Enjoy the full poem here.
12. “Nothing but Death” by Pablo Neruda
In this poem, Neruda laments the inevitability of death and mankind’s helplessness in confronting it. There is fear in the unknown and a fascination with what comes after death.
There are cemeteries that are lonely,graves full of bones that do not make a sound,the heart moving through a tunnel,in it darkness, darkness, darkness,like a shipwreck we die going into ourselves,as though we were drowning inside our hearts,as though we lived falling out of the skin into the soul.
Enjoy the full poem here.
What Is Dark Poetry?
Dark poetry is the use of negative themes in poetic form. It is not about style or structure but the content of a poem. The subjects it depicts can range from merely melancholic to extremely horrific.
It offers poets a chance to explore the darker side of humanity, allowing them to speculate about death, suffering, depression, and more. And though dark poetry mostly deals with tragic subjects, its still up to the poet whether to write them in a positive or negative frame.
A poet could easily compose a poem about death being an imaginary lover rather than as a taker of souls. In this regard, dark poetry is defined more by its content rather than its style and execution.
Why Read Dark Poems?
Aristotle, in his Poetics, states that poetry is like a medical purge that cures the soul rather than the physical body. Most poets often compose dark works as a form of release.
Dark poetry also appeals to both poets and readers by allowing them to contemplate their darker sides, which often leads to personal epiphanies. On a less personal level, such works immortalize situations, thoughts, and emotions that should not be silenced or forgotten.
Do you enjoy reading dark poems? Share your favorites in the comments below!
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Cole Salao
Cole is a blog writer and aspiring novelist. He has a degree in Communications and is an advocate of media and information literacy and responsible media practices. Aside from his interest in technology, crafts, and food, he’s also your typical science fiction and fantasy junkie, spending most of his free time reading through an ever-growing to-be-read list. It’s either that or procrastinating over actually writing his book. Wish him luck!
