Shari's Telling Stories

Reading Poetry

Do you smile when you have to read a poem, or does the idea of reading a poem make your eyes bleed?

If you’re a member of the latter group, and really want to partake in a rich poetry experience, I have a few things that you can try. Before you ask, this is not for poetry majors. It’s for people like you and me who just want enjoy the genre.

Time to Go Shopping

First, you have to find poetry to read. Go to the bookstore one day when you have time to relax and sit with some titles. Get to the poetry section and start by reading titles. When you find something that catches your attention, pull it and start paging through.

What are you looking for? Well, you want something that you can read and understand. It’s fine to have to work for the meaning, but you want to be able to get to the meanings at some point.

Reading Suggestions

I have enjoyed Shakespeare in school, but some others really hurt my head. These days, I read contemporary poets whose work is accessible to me. By accessible I mean that I can understand it’s meaning. I need to be able to understand it to get my inspiration from it.

In well written poetry, the writer paints pictures and doors and windows. They use their words to invite me in, to walk in their shoes and see from their perspective. It’s what I try to do in my poetry. Five writers I really enjoy include:

1. Lucille Clifton – Blessing the Boats
2. Billy Collins – The Art of Drowning
3. Stephen Dunn – Different Hours
4. Audre Lorde – The Black Unicorn
5. Stanley Kunitz – Collected Poems

You can find these titles in bookstores, online and possibly in libraries. I think they’re a good place to start. They make me work but their words draw me in and lead me to their meaning in one line, one stanza, one poem.

How do I Read Poetry?

I’m glad you asked. You need to come to it with an open mind. Pick a poem; start anywhere in your book. Look at the poem, and let the shape inform you. The cut of the lines give you places to pause when you’re reading.

Read the poem once to get familiar with the words and spaces. If there are unfamiliar to you, get their definitions. Read it again aloud; use pauses and voice inflection to be as specific as possible. Ask questions of the poems. Write in the margins or on a separate sheet of paper.

I suggest writing in the margins because I’m a big fan of doing that. It’s the closest I can come to questioning the author or the poem.  And, it’s not always questions I write in the margins. Sometimes I include, reactions, insights and alternatives to the words the author selected.

Finally, once I have all the words and spaces down, I read it once more, letting it flow, so that I can hear what the author wanted me to hear.

Responding to Poetry

Poetry exists because the writer wanted to share an experience, tell you a story, impart a sentiment. Your purpose for reading it is to get his message, hopefully in an enjoyable reading experience. Here’s where you answer the above questions you posed to the poetry, and what can come of reading it:

• The whole meaning as you understand it
• And understanding of what the poem meant for you
• A specific reaction to the poem
• Possibly a new perspective on something
• A poem or other genre piece that you write

What the poet imparts is not mysterious. It’s lyrical. A song can tell you a lot without the detail of a novel. Such is the case for a poem. And, where songs rely on music to convey part of the meaning, poems use solely their words and rhythm. To get it, you take in the whole poem: words, rhythm, and construction.

And, my favorite part about poetry: your story and your experiences are called into play to complete the story. I think more than any other genre, poetry makes use of what you bring to the reading to explode its meaning.

When you are open to poetry, it has a way of opening you to a perspective different from your usual one. It can give you a deeper understanding. I think it has to do with the fact that poems don’t tell you everything (even though they do tell you a lot). This construction compels readers, me and you, to fill in the total picture. It’s part of the fun.

Have you tried reading poetry? If you haven’t yet, or haven’t in a long while, try my suggestions. Come back and tell me how it worked for you. Share with me the poem you read and what you liked about it.

Resources

As always, be sure to search online for sites that offer you insights into reading and responding to poetry.
Rules for the Dance: A Handbook for Writing and Reading Metrical Verse – a favorite book on reading and writing poetry