Tag Archives: poetry

For many people, poetry is something beyond ethereal, something that feels out of reach for some to engage with. Even for a confident writer, poetry can be challenging to approach, let alone to appreciate.

In school, often we are taught to break up poems into pieces, dissecting them like frogs or fetal pigs and we’re left with a nauseous feeling in the pits of our stomachs. What is poetry and why do I want to appreciate it?

Poetry is, in simple terms, a word container for expressing emotions. It is a method to gather thoughts or experiences and articulate them in a way that can be interpreted from various unique angles. It is a manner in which to express intangible concepts like Beauty, Love, Truth in words, making them a bit more tangible. Poetry is a form of writing which allows the writer to create word art within a rigid and disciplined framework, but also allows the writer to create words by breaking all of the rules and letting go of suffocating structure.

There are several different types of poetry–if you use a search engine online, you’ll find many articles with varying viewpoints on how many forms of poetry exist. You’ll also encounter words like enjambment, onomatopoeia, alliteration, anaphora, consonance, assonance–these are all literary devices, or tools, that help you to communicate meaning through writing.

Overall, poetry is complexly simple and it’s basic to write and experience, while simultaneously being layered, confusing, and complicated. But, if you’re willing to invest a little time to experience poetry, I think you’ll be more willing to appreciate it as a type of writing–even if you don’t fall madly in love with it.

There are four ways to get started appreciating poetry:
1. Reading it.
2. Listening to it.
3. Writing it.
4. Giving it as a gift.

Reading it.

There are so many different types of poetry! Reading widely can open your eyes to finding the type of poetry or a specific poet whose work you particularly enjoy. Whether you read William Shakespeare’s sonnets from the 16th century London or Ogden Nash’s light (and often humorous) verse from the 1900s in New York, interacting with a range of poetry will help you appreciate the diversity of expression through this form of writing.

You may grow to love Maya Angelou’s southern passion from the late 20th century into the 21st, or you may fall in love with Morgan Harper Nichols’ contemporary poetry paired with her own artwork.

Perhaps reading Chitra Divakaruni’s poetry from India from around the 1990s, like her poem, “Woman with Kite” or Mutabaruka’s poetry from Jamaica in the same era, like his poem called, “dis poem” will teach you to appreciate poetry in its vibrant diversity.

Check out a book of poetry from the library or ask at your local independent bookstore for their poetry recommendations.

Or, you could choose a poetry collection I’ve written, like Poems for My People: Community, Volume 1, available here.

Listening to it.

Many poems are written to be displayed in such a way that visual meaning comes across when a poem is simply read from the page. More often than not, however, poetry is written to be experienced and performed.

I know some writers who have gone on the quest to create the most aesthetically pleasing poem to read aloud. The way the mouth can articulate a poem through its rhythm, repetitions of sounds, where breathing and pauses occur–all of this is lost when a poem is merely read from the page.

But, when it’s performed, it can come alive! You can read poems aloud by yourself or you can have someone read them to you. If you don’t have a poetry companion to read to you in person, you might like to try listening to poetry podcasts like “A Mouthful of Air” with Mark McGuinness. You can also find some poetry to listen to on sites like PoetryFoundation.org.

Writing it.

Once you’ve been inspired to appreciate poetry by reading it and listening to it, now you can try writing it. You might believe at first that you’re no good at writing poetry. Maybe you aren’t, and that’s okay. But, what if you were good at writing poetry and you had a real gift of collecting words in this literary container?

This article on the Grammarly blog shares several simple steps to help you get started writing poetry.

You could also take a class to help you get started writing poetry. I teach one such class called, “Playing with Poetry.” New class and workshop dates are posted inside the shop here. If you already enjoy writing poetry, but are looking to develop your poetry skills or want support to publish your collection of poetry, I’d love to chat with you about your poetry project. Take a look at the coaching packages I offer here.

The basics of starting to write poetry, however are:
1. Read a variety of poems written in various forms, time periods, by a variety of poets.

2. Make observations about the poems. What do you like or dislike? Do you know why?

3. Choose a topic to write about. It can be silly or serious, but start with just one.

4. Set a timer for 5-10 minutes and brainstorm a list of things you could say about this topic.

5. Select bits from the list that sit comfortably together or simply use bits that you enjoy.

6. Write the selected words or phrases from the list into an assembled mixture of lines and literary devices.

7. Revise your poem to ensure it includes specific details, vivid imagery, emotion, and is in the accurate structure (if you’re following a precise form with rules). Otherwise, you can practice using free verse. This can be a great form to choose when you’re starting out.

8. Read your poem and experience it on the page visually. Make any adjustments you feel necessary.

9. Read your poem aloud. You may want to record yourself reading it confidently and listen to the recording. It may feel awkward at first to listen to your own voice, but push through the discomfort and all yourself to experience your poem. Again, make any adjustments you feel necessary.

10. Write another poem!

Note: Sharing your poetry with others is always optional. Often we can use poetry as a tool to express emotion that we don’t feel comfortable revealing to others. This is a great use of poetry — as a gift to ourselves.

Giving it as a gift!

Once you’ve experienced a number of poems, you likely have found some writers you enjoy. You may have also discovered you enjoy writing poetry.

A magical way to develop a deep appreciation for poetry is to give someone else the gift of poetry. You can do this in several ways.

As you’ve been practicing writing poetry, you can write someone a poem and give it to them. If you do this, know that it is a vulnerable act to give poetry from your heart, so be careful about who the recipient is. Your appreciate deepens when you experience the poem from another person’s perspective.

You may find a special edition or collection of poetry of your new favorite writer to purchase for your loved one or friend as a gift. When you get the chance to explain what you love about this writer or this collection, your appreciation for poetry deepens.

Commission a poem for yourself or a loved one. You may have the rare privilege of coming across a writer who is busking in public and writing typewriter poetry (I am one of those people! Read more about that here.)

Requesting a poem to be written on your behalf or to gift as an anniversary or “just because” kind of gift is in and of itself a demonstration of your growing appreciation. Your request communicates honor of the craft of poetry and creativity. Playing a role in the birth of a poem is a special and unique opportunity. Schedule a commission a poem from me here.

Note: The entire Poems for My People Collection features poems written for individual people. Either the person requesting the poem needed something poetic for themselves to process grief or joy, or they want to communicate an intangible and emotional experience.

Celebrate National Poetry Month this April and grow in your appreciation for poetry!