Transport for London (TfL) launches the latest series on Poems on the Underground. Six new poems have been chosen for this series, which are tied together with an autumnal theme and can be found across London Underground and London Overground services for four weeks. This series of Poems on the Underground features poets from Hungary, Africa and New Zealand, highlighting an international theme.
Sheenagh Pugh’s Days of November 2009 reflects the growing urgency to complete tasks, while Janet Frame’s I Take into My Arms More Than I Can Bear To Hold describes the demands of modern life. Hungarian poet Katalin Szlukovényi’s Overcrowding addresses the pressure of our interconnected lives.
Other poems within the collection also explore a wide range of themes. Won’t you celebrate with me, written by the critically acclaimed African poet Lucille Clifton, was chosen to commemorate this year’s Black History Month. Whilst An Epitath for a Tyrant, written in 1939 by W.H. Auden, honours Remembrance Day.
Jack Underwood’s poem, William at four days old, offers an intimate reflection on his first moments with his newborn son, in which Underwood describes the mixture of emotions he felt as a new father.
Customers can view the poems using the link below: https://poemsontheunderground.org/new-poems-on-the-underground-autumn-2025
Mark Evers, TfL’s Customer Insight, Strategy and Experience lead, said: ”The new set of autumn Poems on the Underground is now live across the Tube and London Overground network, and contains poems from incredibly talented poets, which reflect the beautiful colours and feelings of the autumn seasons. We hope our customers enjoy them whilst travelling on the network.”
Judith Chernaik, writer, editor and founder of Poems on the Underground, said: “Memory across different times and places is a central theme in our autumn poems, as we mark Black History Month in October and Remembrance Day in November. We look forward to marking our own 40th anniversary next year.”
