Do you need to express appreciation to someone, but a simple thank you note just won’t cut it? Here are some thank you poems to share with all the people you appreciate. Whether you are showing love to the members of your family, to your friends, or healthcare workers, consider including a copy of one of these poems in a card or posting one of them on your social media account.
Jump ahead to these sections:
- Thank You Poems for Parents or Grandparents
- Thank You Poems for Your Children
- Thank You Poems for Friends
- Thank You Poems for Coworkers or Bosses
- Thank You Poems for Caregivers, Nurses or Doctors
Someone wise once said, “gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.” To counteract the negativity in the world, let’s all practice showing appreciation to the important people in our lives. Here’s some help to get you started.
Thank You Poems for Parents or Grandparents
Don’t wait for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or Grandparent’s Day to arrive. Show the matriarchs and patriarchs of your family how much you love and appreciate them as often as possible. Here are some poems to help you express your gratitude for all they have done to help you in your life.
1. “Grandparent’s Day Poem” by Mary Dawson Hughes
Although the title of the poem makes it sound as if it is a tribute to both grandma and grandpa, this specific poem honors the matriarch of your family. It’s a sweet, rhyming poem that any grandma would enjoy.
2. “Grandparent’s Advice” by Mary R. Hurley
This humorous poem advises first-time parents not to spoil their babies. After all, spoiling babies is a grandparent’s specialty. Even though grandparents may not do things “by the book,” most new parents appreciate the advice they get from parents and grandparents.
3. “Walk With Grandpa” by Rodney O. Hurd
Perhaps one of the things you most appreciated about your grandparents was the time they spent with you. The speaker in this poem describes an unrushed walk with grandpa.
4. “How Do Mothers Know?” by Unknown
This poem ends with the following thought:
“I love you, and I thank you,
for what you have taught to me.
About that silver lining,
I sometimes fail to see.”
5. “Life Lessons” by Joanna Fuchs
What lessons about life did your dad teach you? This poem celebrates all that your dad taught you throughout your life.
Thank You Poems for Your Children
While many poems express appreciation to parents and grandparents, there aren’t as many that show gratitude to children. This is a pity because children enhance our lives in ways that we can’t even express.
Here are some poems in homage to children. Share these with your sons and daughters.
6. “A Prayer for My Daughter” by William Butler Yeats
How do people show appreciation for their children? They worry about them. In this poem, the speaker hopes that his daughter is beautiful, but not too beautiful. He wants her to be smart but not argumentative. Many show love and appreciation to their children by praying for them.
7. “Our Prayer of Thanks” by Carl Sandburg
Although this poem is not giving thanks specifically for children, it is included in the laundry list of items for which the speaker shows gratitude. Specifically, Carl Sandburg gives thanks for “the laughter of children.”
8. “A List of Praises” by Anne Porter
A thankful heart is a happy heart. Let’s express gratitude for humpback whales, the hum of bees, and “the babble of infants that wake with the sun.” Let’s show appreciation for our babies, even though they wake us up too early.
9. “Thank You for Being You” by Joanna Fuchs
We spend a lot of time correcting our children for their faults and trying to make them into the best adults possible. We need to spend more time appreciating the things that make them unique and wonderful.
10. “What Parents When Old, Want From Their Children” by Dr. A.Celestine Raj Manohar M.D.
This doctor wrote a poem comparing the act of taking care of children with the act of taking care of elderly parents. We love this poem because it is written from a different perspective than most verses of gratitude about children.
Thank You Poems for Friends
What would life be like without good friends? Here are some poems that celebrate the people that you choose as companions and confidants. Share these poems with a special friend to say, “thanks for being there.”
11. “I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends” by John Lennon and Paul McCartney
We know that you will be humming this tune for the rest of the day, but it is worth it if it caused you to stop and read the lyrics to this song by The Beatles.
12. “My Thanks” John Greenleaf Whittier
John Greenleaf Whittier was a Puritan poet who was an abolitionist. He took a break from writing about weightier matters when he wrote this poem of thanks to a friend.
13. “Thanks” by Henrik Ibsen
It’s probably not easy being the wife of a playwright and poet. Henrik Ibsen wrote this poem to his wife for supporting his career. There’s no word whether or not Ibsen’s wife wrote a response to this poem called “Please Get a Real Job.”
14. “I went to thank her” by Emily Dickinson
Scholars think that Emily Dickinson wrote this poem in homage to fellow poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning. The speaker in the poem went to thank an unnamed person only to find that she was dead.
15. “Gratitude” by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Lucy Maud Montgomery was a Canadian writer whose most famous work was Anne of Green Gables. In “Gratitude” Montgomery expresses appreciation for the support of a good friend.
Thank You Poems for Coworkers or Bosses
Consider yourself lucky if you have great coworkers and bosses. Here are some poems that will help you express appreciation for people in the workplace.
16. “You’ve Never Been Hesitant” by Unknown
This poem shows appreciation for the great bosses. They are the ones who “share wisdom” and “let us make mistakes.”
17. “You’ve Stuck By My Side” by Unknown
This short, rhyming poem holds a simple message, but it is not simple finding coworkers who support you no matter what. Hopefully, you have a coworker or boss who is worthy to receive this poem.
18. “You Always Know What To Do and Say” by Unknown
There’s always that one person in every workspace who everyone goes to for advice. Consider gifting that person this poem.
19. “Times Can Be Rough” by Unknown
Perhaps your workplace is going through a difficult time. This poem thanks those coworkers and bosses who are there to weather the storm with you.
20. “So Many Options” by Unknown
The speaker in this poem is going through a list of gifts in his mind, trying to determine the appropriate way to say “thanks” to a good friend. Sometimes the best way to express appreciation is simply to tell the person how much you are grateful for his presence.
Thank You Poems for Caregivers, Nurses, or Doctors
At some point in your life, you will discover how truly remarkable healthcare workers are. How do you thank someone for saving your loved one’s life? How do you express gratitude for someone whose daily tasks most would be unwilling to perform?
Here are some poems that express appreciation to caregivers, nurses, doctors, and others in the healthcare community. Share these with that special person to say, “thanks for helping when I was sick.”
21. “Leaving Early” by Leanne O’Sullivan
We love this poem by Leanne O’Sullivan. In it, the speaker is entrusting the care of her husband to a nurse named Fionnuala. The speaker describes the nurse in this manner:
“you’ll hear her voice sing-song around the ward
lifting a wing at the shore of your darkness.”
22. “To The Caregiver” by H.W. Bryce
One only has to read the first line of this poem (“I sing to you oh caring, giving nurse”) to know that the poet is a fan of Walt Whitman. This poem honors nurses, doctors, and caregivers.
23. “The Heart of a Nurse” by Pauline Hamblin
This poem ends with the rhyming couplet, “Concern for the sick shows on her face, Her gentle touch, my fears erase.”
24. “There is a Rose That Grows” by Unknown
A sick person is the speaker of this poem. We like the line “through my life’s great curse stood a smiling Nurse.”
25. “Quiet” by Tony Hoagland
This poem describes how much quieter a person has become after being a caregiver for someone he loves. The poem begins, “prolonged exposure to death has made my friend quieter.”
Final Thoughts
Thank the people surrounding you who make your life better. Many people would be happy to be tagged on social media with one of the poems on our list. You may also consider writing a thank you note to the people you appreciate.
What if you are the recipient of someone’s gratitude? How do you respond? Here are some other ways to say “thank you for thinking about me” for a variety of situations.