That’s an excellent question Max, I have to agree with you that most of my selections are witty and epigrammatic poems and therefore on the jokey side…but there are a few exceptions which I feel appeal to the emotions e.g.
The Basho haiku (translated by Lucien Stryk)
The Breather by Paul Muldoon
Epitaph for the Unknown Soldier by W. H. Auden
Some of the questions/poems oosed by Pablo Neruda
‘in the mirror’ John Brandi
Visitor by Les Murray
The translations of Ko Un poems
Epilogue by Grace Nichols
On Suicide by Suzanne Buffam
Earth and Sea by Brendan Kennelly
At the County Morgue by Adam Tavel
Starlight by Ted Kooser
and of course….
Western Wind by our good friend anonymous
A few other slightly longer short poems (not on my list) that I think also fit the bill are:
In the desert by Stephen Crane
Campaign by Ciaran Carson
The Fall by Russell Edson
Two Headed Calf by Lauren Gilpin
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