National Poetry Month #1 - How I Read Poetry

Who reads poetry? Practically no one. I'll split the blame for that equally between poets and readers, but it doesn't have to be that way. April is National Poetry Month, probably because T.S. Eliot began his long poem "The Waste Land," with the line: "April is the cruellest month ... ." I always try to keep a book of poetry at hand, that I dip into periodically while I'm reading whatever other book I'm reading. Rarely can I read a book of poetry straight through like a work of fiction. Instead, I read just one or a few poems at a time, sometimes working my way through the book, sometimes randomly picking out poems here and there. Each poem needs to have a little time to steep, to ponder, to reread it, to let it sink in, to fully absorb and enjoy the poem for its own little life. For me, there's no search for deep meaning, symbolism, or something to write an academic dissertation about. I want an emotional connection, for the poem to speak about or to something in my life, my understanding. All that deep stuff can come later, if it does. For me, a poem that has spark of passion that I connect with, that recognizes something in me, will be one I can come back to forever. That single spark can be as meaningful as an entire novel. Here I'm going to share a few lines with you, realizing that this is a futile effort (fool that I am):

Safe upon the solid rock the ugly houses stand:
Come and see my shining palace built upon the sand!
 - Edna St. Vincent Millay

To see you naked is to remember the earth,
the smooth earth, clean of horses.
 - Federico Garcia Lorca

The only response
to a child's grave is
to lie down before it and play dead
 - Bill Knott

The pears fatten like little Buddhas.
 - Sylvia Plath

Suddenly I realize
That if I stepped out of my body I would break
Into blossom.
 - James Wright

Argh! This is a terrible sampling, there's just no way to do this except to just be ridiculous and do it. You'll just have to find some that speak to you. Sometimes a poem, or equally often a poet, just doesn't work for me and so I set it aside, and fortunately there are as many poems and poets out there as stars in the sky (or very close at least). Used-book stores and charity shops usually have a good selection of poetry books, and I might suggest checking out anthologies of poems, so you can read through to see which poems or poets strike you. Happy Poetry Month!