I've loved reading poetry ever since I discovered it as a young teenager, and have spent countless collective hours devouring poem after poem, as well as practicing writing it myself. Poetry is something I believe everyone should learn to find value in, even if they don't at first have much of a taste for it. It's one of the most profoundly moving ways humans have found to express themselves, and I love the fact that one collection of words can mean something so different to each individual person. Here are four poets who shaped my love of poetry from a young age:

1. Emily Dickinson

When I first read about the life of Emily Dickinson, her poetry immediately became even more interesting to me than it already was. She was a rather reclusive soul, born in 1830, who dropped out of college and wrote bundles of letters and poetry, keeping them mostly to herself and her family members. She made very few attempts at publishing. It wasn't until after her death that her sister discovered thousands of her poems, hand-bound by Emily herself, and had them published. It is speculated that she may have had crippling depression or anxiety issues, and this may be why she lived such a reclusive life. I always resonated with her self-isolation, because I am an introvert myself, with near constant anxiety and a tendency to overthink. I often prefer my own company over the company of others, so I felt like I could relate to her when I read her words, and always wondered what life events led her to write some of the pieces she wrote.

One of my favorite Dickinson poems:

"Could I but ride indefinite
As doth the Meadow Bee
And visit only where I liked
And No one visit me

And flirt all Day with Buttercups
And marry whom I may
And dwell a little everywhere
Or better, run away

With no Police to follow
Or chase me if I do
Till I should jump Peninsulas
To get away from you—

I said 'But just to be a Bee'
Upon a Raft of Air
And row in Nowhere all Day long
And anchor 'off the Bar'

What Liberty! So Captives deem
Who tight in Dungeons are."

2. W.H. Auden

Auden was an English-turned-American poet, born in 1907, who is known for having been able to effectively write in just about every verse form imaginable. (He also wrote plays and essays.) The content of his poems ranged from love poems, to political pieces, to poems with psychological themes, etc. He didn't really have a niche and was definitely known and loved for the variety his talents offered.

One of my favorite Auden poems:

"As I walked out one evening,
Walking down Bristol Street,
The crowds upon the pavement
Were fields of harvest wheat.

And down by the brimming river
I heard a lover sing
Under an arch of the railway:
'Love has no ending.

'I'll love you, dear, I'll love you
Till China and Africa meet
And the river jumps over the mountain
And the salmon sing in the street.

'I'll love you till the ocean
Is folded and hung up to dry
And the seven stars go squawking
Like geese about the sky.

'The years shall run like rabbits
For in my arms I hold
The Flower of the Ages
And the first love of the world.'

But all the clocks in the city
Began to whirr and chime:
'O let not Time deceive you,
You cannot conquer Time.

'In the burrows of the Nightmare
Where Justice naked is,
Time watches from the shadow
And coughs when you would kiss.

'In headaches and in worry
Vaguely life leaks away,
And Time will have his fancy
To-morrow or to-day.

'Into many a green valley
Drifts the appalling snow;
Time breaks the threaded dances
And the diver's brilliant bow.

'O plunge your hands in water,
Plunge them in up to the wrist;
Stare, stare in the basin
And wonder what you've missed.

'The glacier knocks in the cupboard,
The desert sighs in the bed,
And the crack in the tea-cup opens
A lane to the land of the dead.

'Where the beggars raffle the banknotes
And the Giant is enchanting to Jack,
And the Lily-white Boy is a Roarer
And Jill goes down on her back.

'O look, look in the mirror,
O look in your distress;
Life remains a blessing
Although you cannot bless.

'O stand, stand at the window
As the tears scald and start;
You shall love your crooked neighbour
With your crooked heart.'

It was late, late in the evening,
The lovers they were gone;
The clocks had ceased their chiming
And the deep river ran on."

3. E.E Cummings

Cummings, an American poet born in 1894, influenced my love of poetry by showing me that when it comes to art, it's ok to break the rules. Known for his fierce lack of capitalization in his poems, he was also a playwright, author, and painter. He wrote love poetry and satire, and many of his poems were acrostics. But probably my favorite aspect of Cummings' poetry, was his use of typography to "paint a picture" with his poems. He would scatter letters, words, and symbols across the page to establish a visual aspect to his poetry that would enhance the way a reader experienced his poem.

One of my favorite Cummings' poems:

"Humanity i love you
because you would rather black the boots of
success than enquire whose soul dangles from his
watch-chain which would be embarrassing for both

parties and because you
unflinchingly applaud all
songs containing the words country home and
mother when sung at the old howard

Humanity i love you because
when you’re hard up you pawn your
intelligence to buy a drink and when
you’re flush pride keeps

you from the pawn shop and
because you are continually committing
nuisances but more
especially in your own house

Humanity i love you because you
are perpetually putting the secret of
life in your pants and forgetting
it’s there and sitting down

on it
and because you are
forever making poems in the lap
of death Humanity

i hate you"

4. Charles Bukowski

Bukowski, born in 1920, is arguably one of the most controversial poets to ever live, and that is why I like him so much. His poetry is extremely raw, honest, and sometimes even unapologetically crass. He sugar-coats nothing, and his poetry presents words and ideas others would be embarrassed to pen. But it is real. And isn't that what art is about? It should be truthful, I think. It should resonate and stir emotion in us. Every time I read one of his poems, I come away with intense depth of emotion and thought, one way or another, and in the end, that is really the purpose of poetry. Bukowski occasionally copied Cummings' writing style, in that he sometimes didn't use capitalization.

One of my favorite Bukowski poems:

"there is enough treachery, hatred violence absurdity in the average
human being to supply any given army on any given day

and the best at murder are those who preach against it
and the best at hate are those who preach love
and the best at war finally are those who preach peace

those who preach god, need god
those who preach peace do not have peace
those who preach peace do not have love

beware the preachers
beware the knowers
beware those who are always reading books
beware those who either detest poverty
or are proud of it
beware those quick to praise
for they need praise in return
beware those who are quick to censor
they are afraid of what they do not know
beware those who seek constant crowds for
they are nothing alone
beware the average man the average woman
beware their love, their love is average
seeks average

but there is genius in their hatred
there is enough genius in their hatred to kill you
to kill anybody
not wanting solitude
not understanding solitude
they will attempt to destroy anything
that differs from their own
not being able to create art
they will not understand art
they will consider their failure as creators
only as a failure of the world
not being able to love fully
they will believe your love incomplete
and then they will hate you
and their hatred will be perfect

like a shining diamond
like a knife
like a mountain
like a tiger
like hemlock

their finest art"

I would suggest you check out these poets (and others) for yourself, even if you think you won't have much of an interest in poetry. Google poets, and get your hands on any poetry book you can. There is much to be learned and felt from the written word, and unless you have a heart as cold as ice, I promise you will find some that resonates with you. As a rather empathetic person who loves to try to understand and feel for others, poetry has had a profound impact on me. In fact, I am not even sure who I would be in a world without it. I believe reading (and writing) poetry increases our capacity to feel, to love, and to understand others, as well as just adding a touch of beauty to everyday life. And that is invaluable in the world we live in. Give it a shot if you haven't already. I don't think you'll regret it.