Narrative Poems – 15 Poems about Historical Accounts

Poems help you to express your thoughts, feelings, and actions. Narrative poems are a special type of poem that tells a story.

From rhythmic ballads to long epics to short narrative poems for kids, dive into all the forms a narrative poem can take through these examples.

A narrative poem in literature is a poem that tells a story. It has a full storyline with all the elements of a traditional story.

These elements include characters, plot, conflict and resolution, setting, and action. Although a narrative poem does not need a rhyming pattern, it is a metered poem with clear objectives to reach a specific audience.

These poems have been borrowed from oral poetic narratives from different cultures. Narrative poems include old epics, plays, and ballads.

1. Title: “No Prince Needed”

Princess Eva, waiting so long,
In doubt, wondered what had gone wrong.
Trapped within the castle’s embrace,
How could this be, she questioned with grace?

The wicked witch, with a cackling sound,
Declared, “That prince will not be found.”
Eva sighed, feeling quite low,
Perhaps this tale wasn’t what she’d foreknown.

Looking out the window, feeling in limbo,
Eva decided, “Enough, I must go.”
As the witch drifted into a slumber deep,
Down the stairs, Princess Eva began to creep.

With a smile, she thought, “Who cares?”
“I’m leaving this castle, breaking free from snares.”
No need for a prince, she decided with glee,
“I’ll rely on myself, just let me be.”

2. Title: “The Strongest Girl I Ever Knew”

She missed the dance and prom night,
No chance to forget, take flight.
Love’s kiss eluded her, you see,
Paralyzed, love’s bliss not meant to be.

No talks of love with a smile,
No walks down the church’s aisle.
Never uttered those words so true,
Yet the strongest girl I ever knew.

Hair unbrushed, no makeup trace,
No warm embrace, just empty space.
Clasping hands in prayer’s gentle care,
In a wheelchair, life’s unfair.

No display of fears, no audible cries,
Hidden tears in her weary eyes.
No quest for pity, no sympathy’s hue,
Forever the strongest girl, it’s true.

3. Title: “A Bird Came Down the Walk”

A bird came down the walk with grace,
Unaware I observed from my space.
An angle-worm, in halves, he did rend,
Consuming it, raw, to his journey’s end.

Dew from the grass, a sip he took,
Hopped sideways, a beetle’s path he forsook.
His eyes, rapid and full of surprise,
Stirred his velvet head, a creature wise.

Cautious, I offered a crumb so small,
Feathers unrolled, a response to my call.
He rowed through the air, in silver sheen,
Like butterflies leaping, serene.

Oars divide the ocean, a seamless glide,
Or butterflies off banks of noon side by side.
In the splashless realm where they swim,
A bird’s flight, a narrative brim.

4. Title: “Annabel Lee“

Many years ago, by the sea’s embrace,
Lived Annabel Lee, in a tranquil place.
With a love purer than words can convey,
She and I shared our blissful days.

A child I was, and so was she,
In that kingdom where love ran free.
The seraphs above coveted our delight,
In a love story told by day and night.

But fate cast its chilling decree,
A wind blew, taking Annabel from me.
Her kin bore her to a sepulchral bed,
Beside the sea where tears were shed.

Yet our love, stronger than earthly strife,
Defied both death and afterlife.
Neither angels above nor demons below,
Could sever our souls, our love to show.

5. Title: “An American Night Tale”

Driving home from work one day, life in a rut,
Spotted a man on the roadside, his fate abrupt.
Just a beggar, cup in hand, at first, I thought,
Yet, a U.S. marine, in old fatigues he sought.

No legs in the chair, but pride held him high,
Ribbons spoke of battles, under the open sky.
Approached this stranger, scars marked his face,
A life story etched in each line and trace.

From boot camp to Afghanistan’s harsh land,
IED’s cruel blow, a fate he couldn’t withstand.
Legs amputated, a salute from the corpsman’s hand,
An American knight, a hero’s stand.

Changed by his tale, a lesson profound,
Self-pity and thoughtlessness no longer abound.
Gratitude blooms for the sacrifice untold,
A brave knight’s story, forever unfold.

6. Title: “Ship in the Sky”

In the sunlight, a kid with a gleaming smile,
Heard a plane’s roar as it soared in style.
To playmates, she shared with twinkling eyes,
“My daddy rides that ship in the sky!”

“My daddy rides that ship in the sky,
Mama’s unafraid, so neither am I.
A pug-nosed kid, heel kicked up high,
Said, ‘My daddy works in iron and steel, oh so spry.'”

“My daddy keeps your daddy up there so high,
If you’re not afraid, then neither am I.
A freckle-faced girl, toe in the sand,
Shared, ‘My daddy works where planes land.'”

“So tell your mama, don’t be afraid,
Dad’s safe; mine brings him home,” she assured.
With hope in their hearts, the children stood,
United in trust, a brotherhood.

7. Title: “Out Out”

The yard echoed with the buzz-saw’s roar,
Sticks of wood fell in the sweet-scented air.
Five mountain ranges, a distant allure,
Lay beneath the sunset’s Vermont glare.

The saw, unyielding, rattled its tune,
Running light or shouldering a weight.
“Call it a day,” whispered the boon,
Supper’s call, yet the saw sealed fate.

The boy laughed, a rueful sound,
Hand raised, life hanging in the balance.
Old enough to know, youth unbound,
All spoiled as the saw danced its trance.

“Don’t let him cut my hand off,” he cried,
The doctor came, but the hand was lost.
In ether’s dark, the boy sighed,
Puffing lips, and the watcher’s cost.

8. Title: “Backward Bill’s Quirky Tale”

On Backward Bill’s sandy hill, he dwells,
A hole turned upside down where story swells.
With a backward shack and porch built askew,
Windows for doors, a quirky view.

Riding the wind, past trails untold,
No fixed destination, his story unfolds.
Spurs go “neigh,” his horse, a rhythmic clang,
His six-gun goes “gnab,” in a backward slang.

Backward Bill’s pup dines with the sunrise,
While Backward Lil, his wife, in a backward guise.
Hat on his toes, clothes underneath,
Backward Bill’s whimsy, a comical motif.

Every payday, a smile in his eyes,
Paying his boss, a backward surprise.
In a backward world, where laughter spills,
The tale of Backward Bill, with all his thrills.

9. Title: “In the Company of Pooh”

Wherever I wander, there’s always Pooh,
A loyal companion, tried and true.
I pondered aloud, “What would I do?”
“If not for you,” Pooh replied, “That’s true.”

“Twice eleven?” a query for Pooh,
“Twenty-two,” he answered, no ado.
Hunting for dragons, a whimsical quest,
Pooh and I, in shared zest.

“Frighten the dragons,” a challenge thrown,
Holding Pooh’s paw, courage we’d known.
Silly dragons scattered, as off they flew,
“I’m never afraid with you,” said Pooh.

In adventures, our bond did grow,
In the ebb and flow of life’s gentle flow.
So, wherever I am, with skies bright or blue,
There’s always Pooh, my friend so true.

10. Title: “Seven in the Cottage”

In a humble cottage, a Child I met,
Eight years old, innocence set.
Curls adorned her head with grace,
A woodland spirit in that secluded space.

“Seven in all,” the little Maid declared,
Sisters, brothers, their presence shared.
Two at Conway, two embraced the sea,
And two beneath a churchyard tree.

Her eyes, fair and very fair,
A rustic beauty beyond compare.
She spoke of siblings, two in the grave,
In the churchyard cottage, their memories save.

“Seven in total,” she held her ground,
Though skepticism in my gaze was found.
“In heaven, they dwell,” I sought to revise,
But firm she claimed, ‘Nay, we are seven.

11. Title: “Mary Had a Little Lamb”

Mary’s lamb, with fleece so bright,
A companion, day and night.
It followed her steps, a woolly friend,
On every journey, without an end.

Through fields and lanes, the lamb would stray,
Its fleece as white as snow each day.
To school one morning, a daring quest,
Breaking rules, the lamb kept abreast.

In classrooms filled with laughter’s cheer,
The lamb’s presence, a joy sincere.
Children giggled at the playful sight,
A lamb at school, a pure delight.

Amidst the rule-breaking playful theme,
A bond of friendship, like in a dream.
Mary’s lamb, through joy and play,
Made school a brighter place that day.

12. Title: “The Sod House On the Prairie”

A sod house on the prairie wide,
Where cornfields waved in stately pride.
With Mary by my side, so dear,
Our darling boy brought joy near.

Beneath her touch, the walls transformed,
Her songs from morn till night adorned.
In humble dwelling, love took flight,
Making each task a pure delight.

Yet joy is fleeting, as we learned,
Unseen hands, dirges, quietly churned.
Death claimed Mary, the baby too,
Beside the sod house, sorrow grew.

With weary heart, life’s load to bear,
That sod house now a place of despair.
In grief, I left that dreary plot,
Love and hope buried, nearly forgot.

13. Title: “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”

‘Twas the eve of Christmas, all quiet and still,
Not a creature stirred, the night had its fill.
Stockings hung neatly by the chimney with care,
Awaiting St. Nicholas, soon to be there.

Children nestled in dreams so sweet,
Visions of sugar-plums, a joyous feat.
Mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Prepared for a long winter’s nap.

Out on the lawn, a clatter so quick,
I sprang to the window, curious and slick.
Moonlight shimmered on the snow’s gentle fall,
Revealing a sleigh and reindeer, St. Nick’s call.

With a wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
St. Nick filled the stockings, no words said.
Up the chimney, with a nod, he took flight,
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

14. Title: “The Pig”

In England lived a clever swine,
With brains so big, quite a design.
He pondered life’s elusive theme,
The purpose of his porcine dream.

Sums and books, his mental feat,
Engines’ secrets at his seat.
Yet one question plagued his mind,
Life’s essence, hard to find.

One night, a flash, a sudden light,
Revelation struck him right.
He exclaimed with joy, no jest,
Life’s meaning, he’d divest:

“They crave my bacon, slice by slice,
Chops in shops, a profitable vice.
Sausages, roasts, a pricey fare,
That’s the purpose, I declare!”

15. Title: “A Boy Named Sue”

Daddy left when I was merely three,
Gave Ma a guitar, a bottle of glee.
Blame’s not my style, he ran and hid,
But before he vanished, he named me Sue.

A jest, he thought, a crowd’s loud cheer,
Fighting through life, my name a jeer.
Giggles from girls, laughs from men,
Life ain’t easy for a boy named Sue.

Grew up quick, grew up mean,
Fists grew hard, wits keen.
Vowed to find the man who gave me the name,
Roamed from town to town in search of shame.

Found him in Gatlinburg, mid-July,
Thirsty throat, a saloon nearby.
Table dealing stud, a mangy dog,
Dirty and old, that named me Sue.

Narrative poems take on another form of writing, almost as if you trying to tell a story, and different kinds of stories are always being told. Romantic stories or most times stories for kids.

The compiled poems encompass various narrative poems. We hope you found the one that piqued your interest and that you had a good read.