My suggestions: - don't treat it daintily. I had an English professor in college who read poetry closer to prose, deemphasizing the metronomic quality that modern readers tend to ascribe to poetry, especially poetry in rhyme. I sometimes get so hung up on trying to make a poem sound right in my head that I don't really flow with it. - get a few anthologies that sample works from a broad base. I have two Norton Anthologies from college but those are doorstoppers. A recent fav is The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart, edited by Robert Bly, James Hillman and Michael Meade. It's easy reading, and works are grouped by theme and subject matter. Many works translated from world literature that you might not otherwise encounter. I've found so many little gems in that book that linger in my mind for days. - allow yourself to dislike something if the subject doesn't grip you right away. You don't have to like all poetry, even the works that are universally acclaimed.

firesideangel1 year ago

I only started really getting into poetry once I started writing poetry myself and translating the poems I liked by Roberto Bolano or Rimbaud. I think it's one of those things where you have to commit and allow yourself to be submerged in it to really enjoy it.

It might help to focus less on trying to decipher the meaning and more on the language and imagery. Some more accessible but great poets include Carl Sandburg, Langston Hughes, Rainer Maria Rilke, Anne Sexton, Weldon Kees, and W.B. Yeats. I would also recommend checking out "Anecdote of the Jar" by Wallace Stevens. It's short but it helped me get into poetry. Stevens's other works are more difficult but his use of language kept pulling me back. Even if I don't get all of his poems I still get "something" out of them.

dont think

steerpike1 year ago

I think using stuff you already like as a jumping off point is very helpful, even if it sounds intimidating. Eg I love love Borges so reading his poetry is really meaningful, even if common wisdom might be that starting with poems in translation is a lot. Also have a nostalgic soft spot for epic fantasy, so the Poetic Edda was really fun to read

hmm u can try starting with more contemporary stuff just because it's less grand and fancy as opposed to the classics which are magnificent and deep and often require a lot of thinking

@maskedmanta Thanks for the suggestions man! The Ode Less Traveled looks great, might start with that and see where it takes me. Much love brotha, and to everyone else who commented.

I understand where you're coming from, because I've recently made a great effort to get into poetry as well. I would actually start with a book *about* poetry. Learning why the different forms of poetry are the way they are- and about their many restrictions- will give you more appreciation for what poets are doing. Plus, the sample poems in these books will give you a taste of many poets. I found that The Ode Less Traveled by Stephen Fry was very accessible/populist intro to poetry, but you can find more academic works as well. Second, I would make the effort to read poems out loud. Poems are MEANT to be recited!! And even if you can read it fine in your head these poems are designed to pleasantly flow off the tongue. Third, search around for poetry that appeals to you, personally. They aren't all the romantic sonnets of Shakespeare and Keats. My favorite poem is Goblin Market because I find devious little goblins hilarious. You could try epic poetry like the Iliad or Beowulf or Paradise Lost. If you like video games, try reading Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came by Robert Browning- It's straight up Dark Souls written in the 19th century. The point is, if you do digging you can find poetry for any sort of mood or tone, so just keep reading around and experimenting until you find something that clicks with you.

You can always try taking a class. Learning how to write it, or perhaps how not write it, helps in the appreciation of others work.

I've been reading Keats and the Shakespearean sonnets. Maybe over my head isn't the right word, more so just boring I guess? Like I don't understand the appeal. I realize that makes me sound stupid but it's what I feel.

What sort of poetry have you been reading?

I recommend going to the Poetry Foundation website and searching by topics that interest you. Once you've read a poem you liked, you can follow up the poet's other work. From there you can gradually build out.