Quick Tips for Enjoying Poetry
A beginner's guide... The world of poetry can be intimidating.
My first semester of college, I signed up for Poetry 356, “The Study of Poetry.” On my first day of class, I realized that those little numbers next to the class name meant something…and all of my other classes were 100-level courses.
Oh, shit! Did I sign up for an upper-level class by mistake? Were there prerequisites that I missed? Would the rest of the class be juniors and seniors while I was the only idiot freshman??!
I approached my professor in a slight panic, and he assured me that I would be fine–there were no prerequisites. He was really supportive of my efforts and even scrawled a nickname/compliment on my essays that semester: “Savvy.” (Gosh, that might sound creepy, but it didn't seem that way–he meant it as a compliment, and I found it really encouraging!)
I enjoyed the class and learned a lot, but not all of us have the interest or opportunity to spend class upon class for an entire semester discussing and dissecting poetry.
You can find poetry you love, too!
Here are my personal tips:
Tip #1: Don’t force it!
You will not like all poetry (I certainly don’t), but there is probably something out there that will speak to you–so, give it a try.
Don’t berate yourself if you don’t get it, just move on. Or return to it later, if you want. Or never. Or whatever!
Start with “accessible” poets or poetry. (Just Google “accessible poetry” and pick a poet or subject that’s interesting to you–or ask a friend what they like.)
*I have to tell you that I came across an article by Virginia Woolf where she criticizes Lord Byron and his poetry as “swimming in vapours of sentimental twaddle, tedious, egotistical, melodramatic,[...]” among other things. I find this enormously funny!! And extremely validating.
If Virginia Woolf can publicly proclaim her dislike for a classic poet like Lord Byron, we all can. We are free to like what we like and dislike what we dislike. (Obviously!!)
Tip #2: Poetry is an experience.
Poetry is not meant to be “read” necessarily—it is meant to be experienced.
Let the images or sensations wash over you.
Relax!
See what meanings or connections float to the top…
Tip #3: Play it again!
Like it?
Read it more than once!
And, more than twice!
You can discover deeper meanings and nuances on subsequent readings.
Tip #4: Trust the poet.
If you’re wondering: “Did the poet mean this?” or “Did the poet mean that?”
The answer is: Yes!
Poets are intentional on every level–even the way the words visually appear on the page can influence or support the meaning.
So, a better question might be: “What complexities is the poet exploring?”
Tip #5: What’s there? What’s missing?
Pay attention to capitalization, punctuation, spaces, and line breaks—or lack thereof!
A poet is free to use any and all language tools to add extra emphasis, to affect the cadence or speed at which you read the words, and/or to create multifaceted meanings.
Example:
Here’s an excerpt from K. Iver’s poem “a mother’s advice” from their book Short Film Starring My Beloved’s Red Bronco (on page 41).
*Notice the lack of capitalization and punctuation which allows the line breaks to give specific flexibility with meaning:
Tip #6: Read it aloud.
Found a poem you love? Read it out loud to take it to the next level.
And, yes: I mean literally read it out loud to yourself—experience the words on your tongue and the sounds in your ears…rhythm and sound can be a rich, hidden dynamic!
Or read it to a friend–you might initiate an interesting conversation or connection.
Sources:
Iver, K. Short Film Starring My Beloved’s Red Bronco. Milkweed Editions, 2023, Canada.
Woolf, Virginia. “Indiscretions.” Virginia Woolf: Women and Writing, edited by Michele Barrett, Harcourt Brace Janovich, 1979, p. 73.