Esson’s first collection of poems, Bells and Bees, was published in 1910; a second collection, Red Gums and Other Verses, in 1912. Although Esson published no further poetry collections, his verse continued to appear in magazines such as The Bulletin until the late 1920s.

Included in his verse are not only bush ballads such as “Whalin’ up the Lachlan,” but also somber meditations such as “The Travail of Nature,” monologues like “Silenus to a Young Satyr,” and thundering panegyrics like “The Bazaar of Death.” As a rule, Esson’s poems are quite short and, despite occasional infelicities, display a tidy and skillful use of language.