The poems we love: celebrating National Poetry Day
23 September 2025
Lydia Ridding and Sam Orciel, English Subject Advisors
National Poetry Day, which this year falls on Thursday 2 October, is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the power of words.
From the heartbreaking, poignant classics of World War One to the smart and cutting-edge spoken word performances of today, poetry is one of the most emotive, creative and expressive forms of English. It engages, it inspires and it gives people a voice. To mark the occasion, we asked some teachers and members of our team to share a powerful poem that moved them, and why.
Here’s what they had to say...
‘Surge’ by Jay Bernard
Chosen by Oliver, Assistant Principal and English teacher.
“Jay Bernard’s poetry collection ‘Surge’, which weaves together the black, queer experience through post-war Britain, is a staggeringly beautiful piece of work.
“Their live performance of ‘Songbook’ – a narrative of the 1981 New Cross fire, which left fourteen dead and no official statement from the government – uses the rhythms of Jamaican dancehall music and Patois to tell a haunting narrative.”
‘Touchscreen’ by Marshall Davis Jones
Chosen by Rina, English and Media Teacher.
“Jones’ performance poetry is powerful because it poignantly critiques the impact of digital technology on human connection and emotion. Through vivid metaphors and wordplay, he contrasts the natural and the artificial, the real and the virtual, highlighting how technology can create a sense of isolation despite its promise of connectivity.
“His delivery is so compelling, using humour to emphasise the irony of having thousands of online friends but few real-life connections: something we see more and more among younger generations. It resonates deeply as it reflects our collective struggle to balance our online and offline lives, and our longing for genuine human interaction in a world dominated by screens. Jones’ ability to articulate these themes with passion and clarity makes it a memorable and thought-provoking piece.”
‘The Hill We Climb’ by Amanda Gorman
Chosen by Nicola, Product Manager for Support Propositions.
“Gorman’s performance at Biden’s inauguration in 2021 moved me to tears. Her passion for the unifying power of hope shone through, and it made me believe that we can come together to work towards a brighter future.
“I liked her message that there is always light in the seemingly never-ending shade, but we must be brave enough to see it and be it.”
The works of Poetic Unity, London
Chosen by Madeleine, Innovation Lead and Head of English.
“All the poets at Poetic Unity in Brixton, London, continue to prove that poetry is alive, political, cathartic and on fire.”
Count Olaf’s speech in Netflix’s A Series of Unfortunate Events
Chosen by Cassie, KS5 English Lead and Director of Courses.
“I love it when poetry gets sneaked into other forms of media! The final episode of the brilliant Netflix version of ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’ gave the dying villain, Count Olaf, some lines from Larkin's ‘This Be The Verse’, which was both hilarious when you knew the missing bits and so appropriate for his character!”
‘Still I Rise’ by Maya Angelou
Chosen by Lisa, Head of Product Support, Propositions & Strategic Partnerships.
“I find all the poetry of Maya Angelou really moving. Her poems are often about marginalisation and disempowerment. Still I Rise is perhaps my favourite – it’s poignant and powerful. She really knows how to pack a punch with words!
“The poem begins…
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.
“Such an astonishing simile! On the surface, dust seems an ill-chosen comparison – it’s disliked, dismissed, got rid of. But dust is SO powerful. It gets everywhere. It leaves its mark. And it always comes back.”
The works of the World War One poets
Chosen by Samantha, Product Designer.
“The ability of the First World War poets to narrate the scale of human folly and the sacrifice and loss of war is highly emotive, and students can empathise. When we read through and orated these poems in class, it often led to some really profound thought, discussion and debate around the scale of war, human consequence and action.
“It's a really emotive, didactic way of engaging with and working with the students.”
‘I Am!’ by John Clare
Chosen by Lydia, English Subject Advisor.
“Clare was a working-class Romantic poet living in the countryside. He wrote I Am! when he was struggling with mental health issues and was thinking about fonder times from his childhood.
“It’s an incredibly moving poem and one that I always enjoyed teaching.”
‘Names’ by Mary Jean Chan
Chosen by Sam, English Subject Advisor.
“Names is a poem that still moves me to this day. I taught it to an A Level group several years ago, and it was a really exciting and interesting lesson about how young people communicate with parents or, sometimes, fail to communicate in the simplest of ways.
“Then I saw it performed by a student in the Poetry by Heart competition at the Globe, and I was moved to tears. I was so emotional I had to go up and thank them for bringing a whole new life to it for me.”
Share your thoughts with us
Do you agree with these picks? Or do you have a favourite poem of your own? We’d love to hear from you – head over to our socials and share your thoughts.
We’d love to keep this conversation going. As part of our planning for the future of English qualifications, we’re keen to hear the views and opinions of a wide range of English teachers. If you’d like to be involved and help shape the future of the subject, please sign up to our Insight Panel – we promise, it only takes a few minutes – and explore the activities and discussions in our English Advisory Group.
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About the authors
Prior to joining Cambridge OCR in June 2023, Lydia spent 20 years working in a range of sixth form colleges across the country, teaching A Level and GCSE qualifications in English. She was a coursework moderator with Cambridge OCR for a number of years and has an MA in Victorian Studies from Birkbeck University.
Before joining Cambridge OCR in September 2022, Sam spent ten years teaching a range of English qualifications in secondary schools, including as a head of department. She did this alongside completing a MSt in Advanced Subject Teaching at the University of Cambridge, specialising in A Level English curricula and pedagogy.
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