Reading poetry may seem like a daunting task, like something only beatnik college kids and ancient Ivy League professors dare approach. Maybe you think poetry seems cool but don’t know where to start. I am here to tell you that it is not daunting. Some of the earlier english poems may contain variant spellings that make the reading more difficult, but this is hardly insurmountable. Poetry is communication, just like web articles, novels, textbooks…anything else we read. The only difference is that poetry is in a format we don’t recognize as readily as a web page. And I would argue that the real joy of poetry comes when we read it and feel it, rather than trying to analyze every detail or contextualize it or riddle out what the author meant by X, Y or Z. That said, here are some ideas about how to approach poetry and read it for fun.
1.Read the poem once.
The first step to reading anything is, well, to read it. To start reading and understanding poetry, read it through once. Don’t stop to analyze it, and if you are confused about a spot, just keep reading. This will give you a broad sense of what the poem is.
2. Read the poem aloud.
After you’ve read it once, it’s a good idea to read the poem aloud. Really listen to the sounds, feel the taste of the words on your tongue. Chances are, you’ll feel something different when you read it aloud than you did on the first skim.
3. Think about the characters.
From this point, depending on the length and complexity of the poem, you may want to continue reading it again and again, or return to striking passages, or just skim it once more. Choose based on what you feel like reading again. Now, as you are revisiting parts or all of the poem, think about the characters. Who is speaking? Who is (s)he speaking to or about? Does anyone else act in the poem?
4. Think about the plot.
People commonly assume that poetry is short and lyrical, and therefore does not contain any plot or tell a story. This is false. Poetry can tell a story even in just a few lines. In fact, powerful poems will likely not just be a simple description. As you revisit parts or all of your poem, look for plot elements. Where does a character change? What happens first, middle, and last? Where might the climax be? Don’t see these plot-driven questions as test questions with one right answer, designed to trick you. No, these are things worth thinking about simply because they attune your mind to important moments in the poem, and since poems are so potent and condensed, the impact comes through these moments.
5. Read it one more time.
Now you’ve thought (casually! This is not a chore!) about some elements of the poem. You know a lot more now than you did after your first read-through. Read the poem again, not slowly, not stopping, not trying to analyze, but letting all the discoveries you made hit you as the language washes over your mind. This read could be aloud or in your head. Focus all your mind on the words in the poem and let it move you, however it will. Or, maybe it won’t, but maybe you’ll discover something in the process.
This is my process for reading poetry when I don’t have to do a write-up for class. I am a Creative Writing and Classics double major, so I see a lot of poetry each day, but the joy falls away when I am bogged down in detail. Poetry is not meant to be arduous. When I really listen to it, and hold each word in my mouth, I see things in the words and in the world that I hadn’t seen before.
If you’re looking for poetry to read but don’t have a book readily available and don’t feel like making a trip to the library, check out this website: https://www.poetryfoundation.org
Here, you can find classical as well as contemporary poetry, and poems in every genre. Let the discovery commence!
