Introduction: Let’s Be Honest About Poetry
There’s something about poetry that makes people nervous. The moment someone says, “I write poetry,” eyes glaze over, posture stiffens, and suddenly people remember they left the oven on. Why? Because a lot of poetry—let’s admit it—is kind of pretentious.
Not all of it, of course. There are poems that hit you in the gut with just a few words. But too often, poetry feels like it’s trying to sound deep rather than actually be deep. It’s become a literary club with velvet ropes, obscure metaphors, and line breaks where they don’t belong.
Still, hidden among the fluff and fog of overworked symbolism are poems that are short, sharp, and actually… good. This piece is a mix of love and critique. A celebration of the good short poems and a side-eye at the ones that make you say, “Really? That’s it?”
Why Poetry Feels Pretentious (Sometimes)
Let’s get the elephant in the stanza out of the room: why does poetry come off as pretentious?
1. Obscurity for Obscurity’s Sake
Some poems seem to exist just to confuse you. A line like, “The rain folds inside my forgotten geography” might sound fancy, but what does it mean? You shouldn’t need a PhD to understand emotion. The best poets say profound things simply. The worst say simple things profoundly—just to sound smart.
2. The Over-Metaphor Syndrome
Not everything has to stand for something else. Sometimes, a rose is just a rose. But in pretentious poetry, the rose becomes capitalism, the thorn is existential dread, and the stem is generational trauma. Chill.
3. Gatekeeping the Art
Many people feel like they’re “not smart enough” to get poetry. That’s not on them—that’s on the poets (and sometimes the critics). When language becomes a puzzle no one asked to solve, poetry stops being art and becomes a test.
But Short Poems? Short Poems Save Us
Thankfully, not all poets have disappeared into the clouds of their own metaphor. Some have mastered the art of the short poem—pieces that are raw, relatable, and resonant in just a few lines.
Short poems cut through the noise. They don’t have time to pretend. They either hit or they don’t. And when they do, they stay with you.
Good Short Poems That Aren’t Trying Too Hard
Let’s get to the good stuff. Here are some incredible short poems that don’t feel like a homework assignment.
1. William Carlos Williams — “This Is Just to Say”
I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold
Why it works:
It’s a note on the fridge. It’s also a poem. It’s also maybe about guilt, desire, temptation, and domestic intimacy. Or maybe it’s just about plums. That’s the beauty—it doesn’t need to pretend.
2. Rupi Kaur — “Milk and Honey” (Various)
Say what you want about Instagram poetry, but Rupi Kaur made millions of people read poems again. Her poems are short, stripped down, and emotional.
if you were born with the weakness to fall
you were born with the strength to rise
Why it works:
It’s direct. Accessible. No fancy metaphors. Some critics scoff, but readers connect—and that matters more.
3. Bashō (Matsuo Bashō) — Classic Haiku
An old silent pond…
a frog jumps into the pond—
splash! Silence again.
Why it works:
This 17-syllable haiku is a masterclass in imagery. Bashō didn’t need to explain the meaning. You feel it. The stillness. The suddenness. The moment. No fluff, just feeling.
4. Langston Hughes — “I, Too” (excerpt)
I, too, sing America.
A single line from a longer poem, but even this alone holds weight. Hughes speaks volumes with economy. It’s not about being cryptic—it’s about being clear.
5. Nayyirah Waheed — “Salt”
stay soft.
it looks beautiful on you.
Why it works:
It’s like advice from a friend, but it hits on a deeper level. You can remember it. You can feel it. It’s not trying to impress, just trying to reach.
The Power of Brevity
Short poems do something long poems often can’t: they punch. They’re distilled emotion, thought, or observation. They trust the reader to feel what isn’t said. They cut out the filler and leave only the essence.
You don’t finish a good short poem and think, Wow, that was so intellectual.
You think, Whoa, I felt that.
When Pretension Becomes Parody
Here’s the flip side: some poems try so hard to be “poetic” that they fall into parody.
Let’s fake one for fun:
The moon
weeps into the abyss
of my grandmother’s broken typewriter.Silence.
A single daffodil sighs.
We all know this poem. We’ve read versions of it. It’s dramatic, but not deep. It sounds poetic, but says nothing.
That’s the trap. Poetry is supposed to be about saying something real. When it’s all mood and no message, it becomes a caricature of itself.
The “Cool” in Simplicity
Simple doesn’t mean shallow.
Good poetry—especially good short poetry—uses restraint. It doesn’t show off. It doesn’t need to. Like a confident person in a plain t-shirt who owns the room, it stands out by being real.
In fact, the shorter the poem, the more powerful each word must be. There’s nowhere to hide. No filler. Just impact.
Final Thoughts: Let’s Not Give Up on Poetry
Yes, poetry has its pretentious corners. But it also has rawness, power, and humanity. It can be silly, stunning, heartbreaking, or hilarious—all in a few lines.
Short poems are the antidote to poetic overkill. They remind us that sometimes less really is more. And that you don’t need to use words like “gossamer” and “melancholic effervescence” to make someone feel something.
So go ahead—write your short poems. Read them. Share them. Ignore the eye rolls. And if someone asks, “Is that even a poem?”
Just say: Yes. And it’s better than a 10-page sonnet about a swan on fire.