57 Poems about Community to Celebrate the Spirit of Sharing
The concept of community is a fundamental aspect of human nature. As Aristotle once said, “Man is by nature a social animal,” and our sense of belonging and connection to others is deeply ingrained in our psyche.
Studies have shown that a sense of community can have a good impact on mental health and well-being, as well as foster a sense of social responsibility and mutual support.
Poetry has long been used as a means of celebrating the spirit of sharing and coming together as a community.
In this collection of poems about community, we explore the power of community through the eyes of poets from different eras and backgrounds, and how it can inspire us to be our best selves and create a better world for all.
Let’s get into the community poems we have curated for you.
Famous Poems about Community
Throughout history, poets have celebrated the power of community and its ability to bring people together. In this category, we explore some of the most famous community poems that capture the spirit of unity and shared purpose.
1. Community
by Joe Hadley
In my dreams, I see it clear.
I have no fears, no boundaries.
My purpose will define you.
Give me time it will be clear.
Given time you will understand,
What possesses me to fight for you.
I will fight the wars you have suffered.
To the darkened skies once more, and beyond.
So many years I have stood among,
The fears and regrets.
I stood alone.
All the years I have been unknown.
For all the blood that’s been shed.
I will clear your suffering minds.
You fall again, I fall again.
Give me time it will be clear.
Given time you will understand,
For all the suffering we have endured.
I end this pain for the peace.
There is no faith in which to hide.
Doubting angels that walk among the living,
I’m in this mood because of the sorrow.
I walk to the darkened skies and beyond.
Now you understand.
I only come here seeking peace.
I only come here seeking enlightenment.
I only come here seeking happiness.
2. A Pillar of the Community
by Martin O’Neill
Three hundred and twenty years in the making.
Lovers have met
Battles been fought, won and lost
And the afternoon heat
Has been endured here.
The King of the castle triumphed-
And was duly deposed here
Armies seen off
Defenders overwhelmed.
An enemy base
A home sanctuary.
Hitching post
Rendezvous, spaceship and monkey bars
Oh, and cuckoos have been heard here.
Countless hands, feet and tired posteriors have left their mark.
And it has left a mark in my heart, here.
The old tree trunk in the park.
3. Open Hearts
by Caren Krutsinger
love fest
welcome here
our community
open hearts and open palms
expressing and receiving other’s feelings
Universality will be possible only when we focus
on human qualities that unite us. Respect, politeness,
cooperation, friendship, inclusion, teamwork. This stems
from the ability to listen to, and most importantly hear
other’s ideas, that are not necessarily our own, and allow
them to flourish also.
4. Sweet Sweet Life
by Richard Palmer
Our world, our country, our community, our home,
Where we live, learn, grow and play,
Where after life journey, no matter how short,
Our temple called flesh will lay,
So lets move with no delay,
To improve on our living each day,
Look around, see what needs to be done,
Lets approach it as if it’s all about having fun,
Let not vanity lead you astray,
Or with you the devil will play,
Embrace God, have faith, please pray,
Live life, be considerate, give love,
And let’s make our life a happy spiritual adventure….
5. To All My Friends
by May Yang
That I could be this human at this time
breathing, looking, seeing, smelling
That I could be this moment at this time
resting, calmly moving, feeling
That I could be this excellence at this time
sudden, changed, peaceful, & woke
To all my friends who have been with me in weakness
when water falls rush down my two sides
To all my friends who have felt me in anguish
when this earthen back breaks between the crack of two blades
To all my friends who have held me in rage
when fire tears through swallows behind tight grins
I know you
I see you
I hear you
Although the world is silent around you
I know you
I see you
I hear you
6. Healthy Community
by Anonymous
Happiness is like ties,
each one of us ourselves,
a catch thorns, other roses,
labyrinths passages.
Takes care of small expenses,
happy he whom the skies,
you can not kill ideas with cannon fire,
or put them wives,
cairo extinct tinctures.
O great modern noises,
make a ball with the last box of cigarettes,
made tiny pieces,
under the moon so far miles.
Naked with clothes and shoes,
i admire men who have gone seventies,
takes care of the minutes, hours and
then take care of themselves,
you came to my sorrow I said yes.
Funny Poems about Community
Laughter is a great way to build connections and break down barriers. In this category, we showcase humorous interesting poems about community that are sure to bring a smile to your face.
1. Church Suppers
by Brenda McGrath
Church suppers in town are such fun,
And the genuine home cooking is second to none.
One man said to the server, “They ran out of my favorite pie!”
“Take it out of the tip,” was her hurried reply.
With a wink and a smile she picked him a different slice.
Then he left thinking, “Oh these church ladies are just so nice!”
2. Traffic Jam
by Bhavna Khemlani
Sitting on the soft cushion seat
Start of turtle movement
The advert on the bus
Is the only catchy appeal
The drumming of the engine
The grunting of the taxi
Dusk getting crisp
Dull glow of the sun
The glance at the sky
With a wish to fly
The buttocks begin to get sore
I see my finger nails
Then back to the next lane
I feel my eyes burn
A long ribbon of taillights flashing
The next lane is fast moving
Taxi driver snoring
The turtle movement
Develops anxiety
Feeling thirsty
Phone rings
Good news
Another party
Feeling oozy
Glazing outside the window
Another turtle movement
Nerves rest – feet asleep
With an effort
Feet wake up
Anxiety rising – start to walk
3. The Communal Defrost
by Gary Smith
Jack frost had paid a call,
The morn was all a-glitter.
Icicles dangled from frozen gutters,
The day was cold and bitter.
Greetings of “good morning “
Came from here and there
As the hardy left their houses,
To face the freezing air.
I heard familiar sounds
Echoing around our street,
Neighbours scraping windscreens
And stamping frozen feet.
Clouds of exhaled breath
Rose up to the sky,
As if ghostly, silent steam trains
Were slowly drifting by.
The sound of engines running,
As people warmed their cars.
It was the communal defrost,
Beneath early morning stars.
4. The Honesty of Childhood Friends
by Caren Krutsinger
Linda, you think that too?
I did not want to tell you, but since Jacque did.
Wait a second! You think I have road rage?
I have known them both for almost 60 years, but
they still betray me,
creeping at me with judgements, pretending to “help me”
Two childhood friends, doing a road rage intervention.
I am incredulous,
argumentative,
irritated,
ready to pack their stuff for them, and push them out the door.
I hope they will like their little 4 mile hike back to my house.
5. Funny Thing about the Yard
by Gerry Mattia
It’s always behind or in front
seems it needs a door to get to
never complains when it rains
pleasantly, pets poop & pee
friends & family cross to hug me
my connect out there
in the back and front
it’s what I have now for all the hard
that stretch out there
the yard
7. A Great Community Builder
by Daniel Turner
She’s funny, pretty, and smart
Personality off the chart
Supportive, knowledgeable, and kind
Her comments are a treasure to find
She hehe’s like a fool
I think she’s perfectly cool
You’ve probably guessed from the clues
Community friend Susan Woo:)
Inspirational Poems about Community
Some of the most inspiring poets have written about the importance of community. In this category, we highlight inspiring poems about community that inspire us to come together and support one another.
1. The Tiny Little Community
by Yazzy Nixon
The river flows courses its way through time,
Leaving behind little dry spots and small puddles.
Have you ever noticed?
The continuing trials of life flowing through the rock bound substance.
Fish constructing more fish,
Tiny tadpoles swiggling behind the weeds.
Dragonflies hopping across the waters,
Making ripples forever bound.
And oh, how those ripples just keep on going.
Getting bigger and bigger.
Water bugs skittering from one end to the other.
The shores silently clashing with the waves.
The modest community I watch from the bridge everyday,
Wondering,
How alike we are in our ways.
2. Darling Coffee
by Meena Alexander
The periodic pleasure
of small happenings
is upon us—
behind the stalls
at the farmer’s market
snow glinting in heaps,
a cardinal its chest
puffed out, bloodshod
above the piles of awnings,
passion’s proclivities;
you picking up a sweet potato
turning to me ‘This too?’—
query of tenderness
under the blown red wing.
Remember the brazen world?
Let’s find a room
with a window onto elms
strung with sunlight,
a cafe with polished cups,
darling coffee they call it,
may our bed be stoked
with fresh cut rosemary
and glinting thyme,
all herbs in due season
tucked under wild sheets:
fit for the conjugation of joy.
3. Comrades Four
by Claude McKay
Dear comrades, my comrades,
My heart is always true;
An’ ever an’ ever
I shall remember you.
We all joined together,
Together joined we four;
An’ I have been first to
Pass t’rough the open door.
We four drilled together,
Together drilled we all;
An’ I’ve been the first to
Flee from the life o’ gall.
We parted, dear comrades,
We parted all in tears,
An’ each went his own way
To shoulder life’s sad cares.
O comrades, my comrades,
What is de lasting gain,
But all t’rough de tempest
A heart of unmixed pain?
My comrades, loved comrades,
I hear your bitter cry;
But life’s pain will end, boys,
Will end yet—by an’ by.
4. Resilience in a Pandemic
by Anonymous
Taking each moment one breath at a time,
One day at a time
My resilience has surprised me
As I’m getting comfortable with living with uncertainty
I underestimated the things I took for granted
And I crave control of the things I can’t control
But I’m trying to exercise forgiveness like a muscle and its slowly getting stronger
I have everything I need within me
To get through moment by moment
And I warmly embrace the quiet as if it were a friend
Often when you think you’re at the end of something you’re at the beginning of something else
We are at a distance but closer than ever
We feel gratitude and despair in the same breath
—We are strong, but we need each other
Your faith gives me strength
Strength to believe
So, think happy, be happy.
5. Together
by Dan Gerber
Often I imagine the earth
through the eyes of the atoms we’re made of—
atoms, peculiar
atoms everywhere—
no me, no you, no opinions,
no beginning, no middle, no end,
soaring together like those
ancient Chinese birds
hatched miraculously with only one wing,
helping each other fly home.
Short Poems about Community
Sometimes, the most powerful messages come in small packages. In this category, we feature short poetries about community that pack a punch in just a few lines.
1. The Community
by Vera Sidhwa
I needed you and you were there.
You helped so many unaware.
Community, you’re my favorite way,
To work, celebrate and play.
To work is your major goal,
But together in an effort major.
I believe in you community.
You are absolutely believable.
Working in a community is wonderful.
2. A Time to Talk
by Robert Frost
When a friend calls to me from the road
And slows his horse to a meaning walk,
I don’t stand still and look around
On all the hills I haven’t hoed,
And shout from where I am, What is it?
No, not as there is a time to talk.
I thrust my hoe in the mellow ground,
Blade-end up and five feet tall,
And plod: I go up to the stone wall
For a friendly visit.
3. Weekend Commute
by Andrew Carnegie
I dissolved into grey crowds
Flooding Londons underground,
Loosing my identity in the flow,
Swimming with currents,
Counter cultural, guttural,
Warmed by the sight,
Of many travellers,
Taking their luggage,
For constitutional walks
4. Limerick for Sensitive Community
by Andrea Dietrich
I once knew a poet named Andrea.
Assaulted by someone’s hysteria,
she wouldn’t engage,
but feeling some rage,
she fought all night long with insomnia.
Long Poems about Community
For those who prefer to delve deeper into the topic of community, we present a selection of long poetries about community that explore the complexities and joys of coming together as a group.
1. Country Sleighing
by Country Sleighing
In January, when down the dairy
The cream and clabber freeze,
When snow-drifts cover the fences over,
We farmers take our ease.
At night we rig the team,
And bring the cutter out;
Then fill it, fill it, fill it, fill it,
And heap the furs about.
Here friends and cousins dash up by dozens,
And sleighs at least a score;
There John and Molly, behind, are jolly,
Nell rides with me, before.
All down the village street
We range us in a row:
Now jingle, jingle, jingle, jingle,
And over the crispy snow!
The windows glisten, the old folks listen
To hear the sleigh-bells pass;
The fields grow whiter, the stars are brighter,
The road is smooth as glass.
Our muffled faces burn,
The clear north-wind blows cold,
The girls all nestle, nestle, nestle,
Each in her lover’s hold.
Through bridge and gateway we’re shooting straightway,
Their tollman was too slow!
He’ll listen after our song and laughter
As over the hill we go.
The girls cry, “Fie! for shame!”
Their cheeks and lips are red,
And so, with kisses, kisses, kisses,
They take the toll instead.
Still follow, follow! across the hollow
The tavern fronts the road.
Whoa, now! all steady! the host is ready,—
He knows the country mode!
The irons are in the fire,
The hissing flip is got;
So pour and sip it, sip it, sip it,
And sip it while ‘t is hot.
Push back the tables, and from the stables
Bring Tom, the fiddler, in;
All take your places, and make your graces,
And let the dance begin.
The girls are beating time
To hear the music sound;
Now foot it, foot it, foot it, foot it,
And swing your partners round.
Last couple toward the left! all forward!
Cotillons through, let ‘s wheel:
First tune the fiddle, then down the middle
In old Virginia Reel.
Play Money Musk to close,
Then take the “long chassé,”
While in to supper, supper, supper,
The landlord leads the way.
The bells are ringing, the ostlers bringing
The cutters up anew;
The beasts are neighing; too long we ‘re staying,
The night is half-way through.
Wrap close the buffalo-robes,
We ‘re all aboard once more;
Now jingle, jingle, jingle, jingle,
Away from the tavern-door.
So follow, follow, by hill and hollow,
And swiftly homeward glide.
What midnight splendor! how warm and tender
The maiden by your side!
The sleighs drop far apart,
Her words are soft and low;
Now, if you love her, love her, love her,
‘T is safe to tell her so.
2. The Old Church
by Margaret E. Sangster
It lifteth its gray old spire from the heart of the busy town,
Pointing the thoughts of the people from the things that bind men down—
Up from toil and temptation, and struggle for daily bread,
To the blessed Father in heaven, to whom our prayers are said,—
Who knoweth what we have need of before it passeth our lips,
Who pitieth and forgiveth our frailty and our slips!
A century and a quarter dream-like has flitted away
Since they laid the stone in the corner, one sunny summer day.
Grave men and stately matrons and rosy children stood,
While the minister sought a blessing for the church they built in the wood—
That thither, for peace and comfort, might throng from many lands
Those who should after worship in the house not made with hands.
As it rose in its fair proportions, higher from day to day,
In the shade of the forest round it, the children came to play!
To-day the birds are singing from their nests in the dusky eaves;
Then shook their matins and vespers out from the rustling leaves.
Vanished the quiet forest! In its place the restless town,
With its hive-like hum and bustle, its houses smoky and brown!
The church in its green enclosure has only room for graves,
And over the mossy tombstones the graceful willow waves!
Here sleep the men and women of a hundred years ago,
Folded in silent slumber, neath the sunlight and the snow.
Out from the grand old spire still tolls the bell for the dead;
Still merrily peals its music for the happy hearts of the wed.
From the ancient oaken pulpit the message of God is given,
And from Sabbath to Sabbath are sinners pointed to hope and heaven.
The mourner findeth comfort, the weary findeth calm;
And the sorely wounded spirit is soothed with Gilead’s balm.
Here the stranger’s eye may brighten as he sees the greeting word:
“Ever the stranger is welcome in the dwelling of the Lord!”
And the rich and poor together to mingle worship come
As the children of One Father—all bound for one sweet home.
Long may the dear old spire, from the heart of the busy town,
Lift the thought of the people from all that binds it down,—
From wealth they must leave behind them, when low they lie in the mold,
To the city whose walls are jasper, whose streets are paved with gold;
Where we hope at last to gather, lifting our songs of praise,
Where never a shade shall darken the sunlight of our days;
And no voices with tears along them shall tremble in the chord
Of the hallelujahs rising in that temple of the Lord.
3. My Caring Community by Peter Bodo Ong’aro
by Anonymous
My caring community
You have always catered for me
You have nursed me
Clothed, fed and sheltered me.
You have been given generously
To cater for my needs
And the general community
Within my means you have lived.
People run away from me
But you have always stood by me
Hard times have cropped up though
You find it difficult to hold on.
You find it hard to stand by me
Because the generosity is dwindling
People no longer give generously
For you to cater for my special needs.
The hard times have made you turn away
You even threaten to close down Institutions of my rehabilitation and education
Because nothing is forthcoming.
You forget that the institutions were built
For my sake
Changing them for other programmes
Will prove that you actually do not care for me.
While I was fruitful you stood by me
Now that I am no longer providing
You are shying away from me
My caring community why have you forsaken me.
Why should I carry the cross
For the sins I have not committed
You have always benefited
At my expense
My caring community why have you forsaken me.
4. The Village Blacksmith
by Anna Marie Neis
Ho! the village blacksmith,
All the live-long day,
The ringing of his anvil,
Wears many hours away.
How manfully he lifts his arm,
And strikes the heavy blow,
The hammer beating perfect time,
As he swings it to and fro.
Listen to the anvil!
The sound is very dear,
As across the little park,
It rings out loud and clear.
‘Tis the only chiming sound,
That keeps the village stirring,
For in the quiet little town,
There’s nothing much occurring.
On a bright and sunny morning,
When the sky is blue,
And the grass is fresh and green,
And slightly wet with dew.
The farmer boy may be seen
Coming from afar,
With horse to shoe, wagon to fix,
And to get a box of tar.
Then a little chit-chat
In a loud and jolly tone,
The farmer boy hooks up his horse,
And hurries on toward home.
No sooner is he out of sight,
Than others come and go,
Thus keeping the village blacksmith’s shop
In a continual glow.
The smith is known for many a mile,
And greatly esteemed it appears,
For he has been the village smith
For five and twenty years.
But things will change as time goes on
And cause us deep despair,
For in the little village shop,
The smith is no more there.
For sickness came as it will to all
Midst pleasure and midst mirth,
And sad to say in three short days
He departed from this earth.
The shock is great to all around,
Even those who knew him not,
His death casts a shadow,
Which will not be soon forgot.
In the quiet little churchyard
The smith was laid low,
Where the green grass and the flowers,
Will soon begin to grow.
The birds will sing their songs
In the bright and genial days,
Near the lonely grave where
The village blacksmith lays.
5. The Old Sugar Camp
by Helen M. Johnson
Come let us away to the old Sugar Camp;
The sky is serene though the ground may be damp,—
And the little bright streams, as they frolic and run,
Turn a look full of thanks to the ice-melting sun;
While the warm southern winds, wherever they go,
Leave patches of brown ‘mid the glittering snow.
The oxen are ready, and Carlo and Tray
Are watching us, ready to be on the way,
While a group of gay children, with platter and spoon,
And faces as bright as the roses of June,
O’er fences and ditches exultingly spring,
Light-hearted and careless as birds on the wing.
Where’s Edwin? Oh, here he comes, loading his gun;
Look out for the partridges—hush! there is one!
Poor victim! a bang and a flutter—’tis o’er,—
And those fair dappled wings shall expand nevermore;
It was shot for one invalid sister at home,
Yet we sigh as beneath the tall branches we roam.
Our cheeks all aglow with the long morning tramp,
We soon come in sight of the old Sugar Camp;
The syrup already is placed in the pan,
And we gather around it as many as can,—
We try it on snow; when we find it is done
We fill up a mold for a dear absent one.
Oh, gayest and best of all parties are these,
That meet in the Camp ‘neath the old maple trees,
Renewing the love and the friendship of years,—
They are scenes to be thought of with smiles and with tears
When age shall have furrowed each beautiful cheek,
And left in dark tresses a silvery streak.
Here brothers and sisters and lovers have met,
And cousins and friends we can never forget;
The prairie, the ocean, divide us from some,
Yet oft as the seasons for sugaring come,
The cup of bright syrup to friendship we’ll drain,
And gather them home to our bosom again.
Dear Maple, that yieldeth a nectar so rare,
So useful in spring, and in summer so fair,—
Of autumn acknowledged the glory and queen,
Attendant on every Canadian scene,
Enshrined in our homes it is meet thou shouldst be
Of our country the emblem, O beautiful Tree!
Poems about Community That Rhyme
Rhyming poetry is a fun and engaging way to explore the theme of community. In this category, we showcase rhyming poems about community to celebrate the spirit of togetherness.
1. The Village Wedding
by The Village Wedding
The weeks and months, with long delay,
Have brought at last the wedding day;
And pealing bells, with merry din,
The joyful morn have ushered in!
And now the church begins to fill;
And all are seated, pleased and still,
While matron looks rebuke the boys
Who move their feet with shuffling noise.
And village girls, with whispered talk,
And smiling lips, have lined the walk,
And ready stand, on either side,
To scatter flowers before the bride.
And soon she comes, with modest grace,
The bridegroom waiting in his place;
The ring is on, the words are said,
They kneel to pray, and they are wed.
2. Do You Live in a Community
by Francis Duggan
Do you live in a community where you feel you do not belong
Where your bond to those who live in close proximity to say the least not strong
You do not attend community meetings and you not many wish to know
And you only get a blank stare when to some you say hello?
You feel most of this is your own fault you choose things to be this way
And for not being part of the community there is some price to pay
That if you feel like a stranger that’s the way you choose it to be
Shyness to you can be a disadvantage that’s how it does seem to me
Do you live in a community where you are an almost unknown
Where an aura of anonymity around you has only grown
In the previous town you lived in you too felt a stranger there
And you will feel like an outsider when you move on to live elsewhere
Since you came to live in this town one friend you did not gain
And since you feel like an outsider as an outsider you’ll remain.
3. Poetry Soup
by Ronald D Thompson
What is this thing called Poetry Soup?
I googled it thinking, is this a coup?
A place for many a brilliant mind
to share their verses of a varied kind.
A community of happy and troubled souls,
real people, diverse with different goals,
who exchange empathy, concern or praise
and post their poems so awareness they raise.
Each fraught with doubt but write they must do,
for the benefit of thousands, just like me and you.
They write for the love, not recognition as such,
in the hope you enjoy, ever so much!
4. The Sewing Circle
by Evander A. Crewson
Sewing, sewing, busy sewing;
Hear the scissors rattle, rattle;
Everybody’s tongue agoing—
Tittle-tattle, tittle-tattle.
Good intentions, glorious cause—
Willing angels in life’s battle;
Picking out the little flaws—
Tittle-tattle, tittle-tattle.
Making some poor mother clothes;
Helping buy the baby’s rattle;
Hitting friends and hitting foes—
Tittle-tattle, tittle-tattle.
Willing hearts and willing hands:
Generals all in life’s battle;
Laying bare each other’s plans—
Tittle-tattle, tittle-tattle.
5. The Sugar Camp
by Robert McIntyre
When you want a treat, delicious to eat, pass by the poor old bees;
Slip out and go, thro’ a late March snow, to a bush of sugar-trees;
Step down the hill, when all is still, and soft blue smoke is curled
In the frosty haze, where ice-gems blaze, when sundown takes the world.
No honey of flowers in this world of ours, no sap of the Southern cane,
Melts on the lip like the sweets that drip from a wounded maple’s grain;
And if you take up a gourd or a cup of the plain old-fashioned stamp,
And sip some juice, you will then turn loose and shout in the sugar camp.
Poems about Community for Children
Children should be encouraged to learn the value of community and working together. In this category, we present poems about community for kids that are enjoyable for young readers.
1. The More We Get Together
by Anonymous
The more we get together, together, together.
The more we get together the happier we’ll be.
Because your friends are my friends.
And my friends are your friends.
The more we get together the happier we’ll be.
I’m your friend.
You’re my friend.
He’s my friend.
She’s my friend.
The more we get together, together, together.
The more we get together the happier we’ll be.
Because your friends are my friends.
And my friends are your friends.
The more we get together the happier we’ll be.
I’m your friend.
You’re my friend.
They’re my friends.
We’re all friends.
The more we get together, together, together.
The more we get together the happier we’ll be.
Because your friends are my friends.
And my friends are your friends.
The more we get together the happier we’ll be
2. A Quiet Neighbour
by John Heywood
Accompted our commodities,
Few more commodious reason sees
Than is this one commodity—
Quietly neighboured to be;
Which neighbourhood in thee appears.
For, we two, having ten whole years
Dwelt wall to wall, so joiningly,
That whispering soundeth through wellnigh,
I never heard thy servants brawl
More than thou hadst had none at all.
Nor I can no way make avaunt,
That ever I heard thee give them taunt.
Thou art to them, and they to thee,
More mild than mute; mum ye be.
I hear no noise mine ease to break;
Thy buttery door I hear not creak;
The kitchen cumbreth not by heat;
Thy cooks chop neither herbs nor meat.
I never heard thy fire once spark;
I never heard thy dog once bark;
I never heard once in thy house
So much as one peep of one mouse;
I never heard thy cat once mew—
These praises are not small nor few.
I bear all water of thy soil. Whereof I feel no filthy foil,
Save water which doth wash thy hands,
Wherein there none annoyance stands.
Of all thy guests set at thy board,
I never heard one speak one word;
I never heard them cough nor hem;
I think, hence to Jerusalem,
For this neighbourly quietness,
Thou art the neighbour neighbourless.
For ere thou wouldest neighbours annoy,
These kinds of quiet to destroy,
Thou rather wouldest to help that matter,
At home alone fast bread and water.
3. A School is Not Just a Place
by Cassandra Sower
A school is not just a place,
a building of bricks and mortar.
It’s the heart of the community
providing payments of care that never falter.
A school is not just a place,
where children learn to read and write.
Teachers and TAs guide them to see their potential
and that even in the darkest times, there will be ‘light.’
A school is not just a place,
a collection of classrooms full of desks and chairs.
It’s a forest school of growth,
where children put aside their cares.
A school is not just a place,
children must attend for a long while.
Teachers know that even after the most stressful day,
they can always count on (at least one) child to make them smile.
A school is not just a place,
full of uniform children in uniform.
It’s an atrium of aspirations full
of authors, artists, actors and many more.
A school is not a place,
driven by numbers and profits.
It’s a regular provider of hot meals
for children whose parents would otherwise not be able to afford it.
A school is not a place,
that panders to the petrifying propaganda of a pandemic.
It’s staff who provide a strong system of support, whose slogan is:
‘Put a wet paper towel on it!’ (a.k.a teachers are basically medics).
Above all,
This school is not just a place
that runs itself.
It’s every face,
who wake up
and race
to work.
Every teacher, every TA.
To my colleagues and friends,
whilst it may feel like,
we are at the world’s end
I want you to know:
This school would not be the same
without the hard work of each name
and face that make
this school so much more
than just a place.
4. The Village May-Day
by J. R. Eastwood
Piled up with sacks, to yonder town
The great mill waggon lumbers down:
Drawn by three horses, tall and strong,
The great mill waggon rolls along.
The miller’s smock is clean and new,
And smart with ribbons, red and blue;
And tinkling bells on bridle rein
Have made the stately horses vain.
And every year the First of May
Is made the village holiday:
The school is closed: the children run
In meadows smiling with the sun.
And now before the mill they wait,
While some, impatient, climb the gate,
And shout with glee, when drawing near
The loudly rumbling wheels they hear.
And soon the horses loom in sight,
With gay rosettes, and harness bright,
While dose beside the leader’s head,
The miller walks with sturdy tread.
Long may the festive day come round
And find the miller hale and sound,
And may his goods increase, and still
The great wheel turn his busy mill.
Poems about Community Building
Building a strong and supportive community takes effort and dedication. In this category, we feature poems that explore the process of building connections and creating a sense of belonging.
1. The Voices
by Rainer Maria Rilke
It’s OK for the rich and the lucky to keep still,
no one wants to know about them anyway.
But those in need have to step forward,
have to say: I am blind,
or: I’m about to go blind,
or: nothing is going well with me,
or: I have a child who is sick,
or: right there I’m sort of glued together. . .
And probably that doesn’t do anything either.
They have to sing, if they didn’t sing, everyone
would walk past, as if they were fences or trees.
That’s where you can hear good singing.
People really are strange: they prefer
to hear castratos in boychoirs.
But God himself comes and stays a long time
when the world of half-people start to bore him.
2. Good Bones
by Maggie Smith
Life is short, though I keep this from my children.
Life is short, and I’ve shortened mine
in a thousand delicious, ill-advised ways,
a thousand deliciously ill-advised ways
I’ll keep from my children. The world is at least
fifty percent terrible, and that’s a conservative
estimate, though I keep this from my children.
For every bird there is a stone thrown at a bird.
For every loved child, a child broken, bagged,
sunk in a lake. Life is short and the world
is at least half terrible, and for every kind
stranger, there is one who would break you,
though I keep this from my children. I am trying
to sell them the world. Any decent realtor,
walking you through a real shithole, chirps on
about good bones: This place could be beautiful,
right? You could make this place beautiful.
3. Predicting Assault Patterns
by Gerald Dillenbeck
I’ve noticed,
As our economic and politically empowered
too consistently lead with their Right,
All us non-elite women
people of color
LGBTQ
and indigenous people
predictably lean to our Left
To find a space
where we feel safer,
and a sacred place
where we might imagine
our lives actually matter.
4. A Ritual to Read to Each Other
by William Stafford
If you don’t know the kind of person I am
and I don’t know the kind of person you are
a pattern that others made may prevail in the world
and following the wrong god home we may miss our star.
For there is many a small betrayal in the mind,
a shrug that lets the fragile sequence break
sending with shouts the horrible errors of childhood
storming out to play through the broken dyke.
And as elephants parade holding each elephant’s tail,
but if one wanders the circus won’t find the park,
I call it cruel and maybe the root of all cruelty
to know what occurs but not recognize the fact.
And so I appeal to a voice, to something shadowy,
a remote important region in all who talk:
though we could fool each other, we should consider–
lest the parade of our mutual life get lost in the dark.
For it is important that awake people be awake,
or a breaking line may discourage them back to sleep;
the signals we give–yes, no, or maybe–
should be clear: the darkness around us is deep.
5. Maintaining Your Composure
by Gorlum Gorlum
Maintaining your Composure
Don’t let your neighbours decompose
Make sure they are well
Or else they go green and blot
And also start to smell
Once you detect an awful stench
Don’t wait for garbage day
It won’t get better, only worse
Take measures right away
Request welfare check at once
We’d rather cut them fresh
Putrefaction will advance
And bugs will feast on flesh..
Just keep this image in your mind
Believe me, it’s that gross
Be a responsible adult
Don’t let them decompose
6. Neighbours
by Rudyard Kipling
The man that is open of heart to his neighbour,
And stops to consider his likes and dislikes,
His blood shall be wholesome whatever his labour,
His luck shall be with him whatever he strikes.
The Splendour of Morning shall duly possess him,
That he may not be sad at the falling of eve.
And, when he has done with mere living, God bless him!
A many shall sigh, and one Woman shall grieve!
But he that is costive of soul toward his fellow,
Through the ways, and the works, and the woes of this life,
Him food shall not fatten, him drink shall not mellow;
And his innards shall brew him perpetual strife.
His eye shall be blind to God’s Glory above him;
His ear shall be deaf to Earth’s Laughter around;
His Friends and his Club and his Dog shall not love him;
And his Widow shall skip when he goes underground!
7. On the Yard
by Etheridge Knight
A slim
young fascist
fresh from the Hole
slid into me
murdered me
with his eyes
and said, “Man,
why ain’t you
doing something?”
All night
I sat up
All night
wrote 5,000 words
explaining how
I
was doing something
but the slim cat –
beautiful fascist
didn’t buy
it – nor
did I
completely.
Poems about Community and Unity
Unity is the foundation of any strong community. In this category, we present poems that celebrate the power of unity and the importance of coming together for a common purpose.
1. Unity of a Community
by Dharah
No matter if the world was round or square
We sat on a table or ate in a chair
Wouldn’t really matter if gloves were shoes
All that really matters is me and you
Brotherhood and sisterhood is a bond worth gold
Unity and equality is a treasure untold
But do we really treasure these priceless gems
Or smuggle them away in the pockets of sin
The unity of a community is a beautiful sight
Nobody is the same but we have the same plight
Why is it that when it comes to material things
We separate from each other like dividends
I don’t want the money
You can keep the diamonds and rings
But can we stop the violence
Make the communities safe again
Can we all just be one big family?
I remember my parents said that’s how it use to be
But as the new generations grow up and get old
It seem like we forget what we were taught and told
I can’t speak for others only myself
If I could change this one thing I wouldn’t need for nothing else
The impact that one close community could have
Would make everything better and the good moments last
More smiles on kids faces
More A’s in the books
Bright futures up ahead
Contentment wherever we look
This is what I see
And if I could make this be
I could rest my weary head
With all my worries put to bed
2. Unity
by Adeniji Toluwalope Gideon
Unanimously, One plus one equals one community
Not for ANIMOsity but for HUMANity
In style shall we cease the opportunity
To become great in unity
Yelling excitedly till infinity
3. The Common Unity of Community
by Anonymous
Alone we suffer
Together we can endure
Stronger when we are tethered
That I can ensure
Connected together like birds of a feather
We can weather the weather whether we face hell or heaven
We can resonate and instigate a state of inspiration
We can rest and equilibrate, share a respiration
Forming a superorganism we transform
No longer lost in this chaotic storm
We take shelter in love, sharing security
Surging electricity sparked by common unity
Purging our anxiety, embark on a new odyssey
I’ll help you up and you’ll help me see
See how great this life can be
4. Unity Is Community
by Anonymous
In our communities
It’s all about seeking positive opportunity’s
Opportunity’s which can also be a solution
A solution of our revolution
Revolution a drastic change in the way we think and behave
We can behave were we can engrave
Engrave in our worlds history
To make a switch
A switch to enrich
To enrich the minds of young ones
To show it about going for your goal and hitting a home run
And that life doesn’t have to be living by a gun
But to make a change we have to look within our hearts
And in our hearts fill in the missing parts
Then once that happen helping ourselves and others can start
But like i said it is all about positive opportunity’
And bringing the community together in unity
Because without unity
There is no such thing as Community
5. National Unity
by Jones Very
A nobler unity, than that which came
From out the conflict of our sires of old,
Which gave to us throughout the world a name
Shall we, our trials past, at length behold;
A unity of Justice and of Power,
As theirs of Freedom from a foreign foe;
Through the dark clouds, that o’er the nation lower,
We see its rising sun, its morning glow.
No more shall party spirit rule the land,
But One Great Thought inspire each freeman’s breast,
The rock on which alone our cause can stand,
The Love of Man and Justice for the oppressed.
Arise, O sun of Freedom to restore
Their rights to all! Arise! and set no more!
6. Unity in Division
by Bruce Gorton
We argue with shouts
That the inner child outs
Taunts we know to be wrong
We make in order to sound strong
We seek to understand each other
We speak of our difference
In my belly it won’t subside
The confusion born inside
A struggle to find out more
But my reason’s a closed door
We seek to command each other
We have a power difference
The loss of face like a sin
Thoughts inchoate in the din
Peace I claim to miss
I find the war meaningless
We seek to unhand each other
We bear a sour difference
Similarity sold as a deceit
We want it for our conceit
It validates our own thought
And the lies we have bought
We seek to withstand each other
In our tower difference
Change is our only grace
It is worth losing face
To find ourselves corrected
In that we stand connected
7. From Many, One
by Robert C Howard
It happened in a flash.
winding down a Rocky Mountain road,
a trio of travelers,
basking in snow-draped vistas
pulled off for a photo or two.
Their tires locked into a snow bank
and after a few futile wheel spins,
the undeniable truth sank in;
they were stuck!
In moments, the slamming of car doors
echoed across the valley,
an ad hoc community of a dozen Neighbors
formed, converged and began to dig.
After a half hour of elbow grease
amid vapor clouded exhalations
and cries of,
“straighten the wheel,”
“slow on the gas” and
“let’s push together now”
the car eased onto the center of the road.
No one called “meeting adjourned”
but as quickly as it formed,
our ad hoc community
dissolved into the greater band
of good folks working together
for our mutual benefit.
Poems about Community Engagement
Engagement is key to building a vibrant and active community. In this category, we feature poems that encourage us to get involved and make a difference in our communities.
1. A Lesson in the Making
by Jo McFarlane
They squeezed us into spaces they’d created.
They dictated all the terms of our engagement
and the means by which we’d happily collude.
We understood what they were doing
but we felt compelled to keep pursuing
their approval in the face of overwhelming lies.
They sized us up as easy to manipulate;
congratulated us on our involvement,
saturated us with promise after promise
that our views would make a difference
to the outcome. Sometimes they appeased us
when it wasn’t going our way;
teased us with small compromises,
tweaked around the edges of our call for change
But always they arranged the agenda
so we couldn’t help but meekly be manoeuvred
into spaces they’d created, choices they’d dictated.
“Co-production”, they called it; but we were co-opted
to legitimate their policies,
accept their lame apologies
and rubber stamp their will
Still, when it all went belly-up for us,
they tried to rectify our righteous anger with Reviews
But they weren’t really interested in our views,
only in the cost-effective consequences
of their bold ring-fences, only in the savings they’d accrue.
True to their word, which to us seemed quite absurd,
the landscape changed forever
–but not for the better.
Services we thought were vital
now were surplus to requirement
in the best laid schemes of managers and men.
If we were to do it all again,
what would we do differently to make our voices heard
and bring about the changes we
demand to see?
We’d reconfigure round the table –not their
table
But a space, a time and an agenda of our choosing
The cost of losing one more victory must be to get on side
with our community and fight with all we’re able.
2. Consultation and Involvement
by Jo McFarlane
We asked them to contribute
and they cared enough
to tell us what they thought.
They sought the simplest things:
a place to be that held their dignity,
support of self and family,
fulfilling things to do,
respect and being listened to.
We took their big ideas on board,
took small steps forward to achieve
what seemed impossible to us.
Budget cuts, practical logistics,
cultural resistance,
all the barriers we faced along the way.
And then one day,
a revolution happened in our thinking:
let’s take the consultation further,
ask the people how they think we can
achieve the changes that they want to see.
The answer came like manna from the gods.
They said: “Involve us, Don’t just listen.
Let us be the architects, the builders
and the artists of our vision.
Give us tools, resources,
and the hope to realise our ambition.
Don’t just talk to us,
walk with us the road that leads to change”
We found that soon
the labels service users and providers
were redundant.
We were partners now,
working in pursuit of common goals.
3. Mouth and a Word
by Anonymous
Mouth and a word
Mouth can build
and it can destroy
once you open
your mouth a lot
can change for
the best or the worst
One word can destroy
one word can build
a word can change the world
and a person’s life
When you open your
mouth and say one
word people can tell
what kind of person
are you
A word can comfort
A word can kill
mouth can destroy
mouth can make a
better future for you
These two things
can make for you
the best and
a loser
4. For Unity Is the Key
by Oscar Auliq-Ice
In unity we find our strength,
Together we can go to great length,
Bound by a common goal,
We can overcome any toll.
For when we stand together,
We are stronger than ever,
No challenge is too great,
As we stand hand in hand, mate.
Our differences become our strength,
As we come together at great length,
For when we embrace diversity,
We create a bond of unity.
With unity we can build,
A world that’s just and filled,
With love, peace and harmony,
For all humanity.
Let us embrace each other,
And lift one another,
For in unity we find our might,
And together we can reach new heights.
So let us join our hands,
And take a stand,
For unity is the key,
To a world that’s free.
5. An Apple Gathering
by Christina Rossetti
I plucked pink blossoms from mine apple-tree
And wore them all that evening in my hair:
Then in due season when I went to see
I found no apples there.
With dangling basket all along the grass
As I had come I went the selfsame track:
My neighbours mocked me while they saw me pass
So empty-handed back.
Lilian and Lilias smiled in trudging by,
Their heaped-up basket teased me like a jeer;
Sweet-voiced they sang beneath the sunset sky,
Their mother’s home was near.
Plump Gertrude passed me with her basket full,
A stronger hand than hers helped it along;
A voice talked with her through the shadows cool
More sweet to me than song.
Ah Willie, Willie, was my love less worth
Than apples with their green leaves piled above?
I counted rosiest apples on the earth
Of far less worth than love.
So once it was with me you stooped to talk
Laughing and listening in this very lane:
To think that by this way we used to walk
We shall not walk again!
I let me neighbours pass me, ones and twos
And groups; the latest said the night grew chill,
And hastened: but I loitered, while the dews
Fell fast I loitered still.
6. Labor of Love
by Joseph Watts
Are we going to Heaven or is Heaven coming to earth?
Do you want the reward to be easy,
Or do you want the reward to be valuable?
On that last day, when you ask what it all meant,
be prepared for the answer:
The universe was created inside of a small effort
The larger effort was yours-
If you wanted meaning, you were meant to make it yourself.
Everlasting love in Heaven
was meant to begin on Earth.
7. I Am a Dreamer
by Khanyisik
I am a dreamer
Everyday when I wake up
Seeing the sun on my window
I dream
I dream about my future
My passion
My world
Everything I do, I dream
Just when I see: the birds
making their sound singing lovely
seeing the flowers breeze on the garden
It is just magically.
It is just, so essentially.
When I Think
When I sit
I dream
Which makes me a dreamer
When I sit outside
hearing the cool air
I dream
Everything I do, I dream
Dream is my middle name
I am a dreamer.
Final Thoughts
Community is an essential aspect of human life that fosters cooperation, mutual support, and interdependence.
Poems about community capture the essence of what it means to be part of a group and how individuals can work together to create something greater than themselves.
From inspiring pieces that celebrate the power of unity to humorous ones that poke fun at the quirks of living in a community, these community poems reflect the diversity of human experiences.
Whether for children or adults, short or long, funny or serious, these poems for community serve as evidence of the importance of building and maintaining strong, healthy communities in our daily lives.
