A beautiful new addition to a bestselling poetry anthology series that guides readers in dark times, both personal and societal
For decades, Roger Housden has curated poetry collections that offer solace, strength, and perspective when they’re needed most. In this powerful volume, he brings together poems that speak directly to the human experience of suffering — reminding us that we are not alone in our grief, our fear, or our uncertainty.
Housden reflects on each poem in ways that gently guide us toward clarity and comfort. These are not poems that avoid the truth — Jack Gilbert reminds us there is “sorrow everywhere,” and Maggie Smith observes that “the world is at least fifty percent terrible” — yet within these lines are glimmers of resilience, beauty, and even joy.
This is poetry as a lifeline, transforming pain into perseverance, despair into meaning, and heartbreak into healing.
Ten Poems for Difficult Times
“Good Bones” by Maggie Smith
“The Thing Is” by Ellen Bass
“The Quarrel” by Conrad Aiken
“Cutting Loose” by William Stafford
“Rain Light” by W. S. Merwin
“How the Light Comes” by Jan Richardson
“Now You Know the Worst” by Wendell Berry
“A Brief for the Defense” by Jack Gilbert
“It’s This Way” by Nazim Hikmet
“Annunciation” by Marie Howe