Writing and Reading Poetry

Many prose writers also write poetry, myself included. Why make such a leap from lengthy prose to a few (or more) lines of poetry? 

One reason is that it is a welcome change from writing a thousand or more words in an essay or thousands of words in a novel. It's also a way to express your feelings and beliefs, your reaction to present-day happenings or to something beautiful that you observed. 

We can also read poetry as a break from reading full-length books. We read it for the beauty in the words, the images we are exposed to, and to learn the thoughts of the poets. 

Sometimes a poem is quite puzzling. We read it, then read it again and ask ourself What was that all about? There are poems which have meaning only for he/she who wrote it. In that case, we can still appreciate the words and images. Other poems have meanings that are quite clear. 

When you read a poem, don't read through it once and move on. Read it again or maybe three times. I always see more the second and third time. It's like watching a movie twice. I find that the second time around I see so many little things not noticed on the first viewing. 

we have naysayers who profess to not like poetry. I wonder if those people might begin to like it if they gave poetry a chance if they're willing to read more than one poem. I'd ask them to try reading a poem a day for a month and see if their attitude has changed any. 

I hope that young parents read poetry to their children from an early age. Many picture books are very poetic, and, of course, there are nursery rhymes. Immerse little children into poetry, and perhaps they'll find it easier to enjoy as an adult.

The poster photo above mentions Famous Poems. Are there some you especially like? A few that I like are:

• In Flander's Fields
• Fog (Carl Sandburg)
• The Road Not Taken (Robert Frost)
• Moonstain (Ronda Miller)
• I'm NobodyWho Are You? (Emily Dickinson)
• The Raven (Edgar Allan Poe)
• I Heard the Bells On Christmas Day (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)

All of the above are old and well-known poems except for Moonstain, which was written by a friend of mine. Her poem has stayed with me ever since reading it and is now a favorite.

If you've never tried writing any poetry, there is no time like the present to try. Free verse gives you free rein, no rhyme or specific meter to worry about. Just pour your heart out in a poem. 

Write it, read it--either one or both, but do give it a try.