Sometimes we fall in love with something at once and sometimes it takes time. If were lucky, we come across a poem that immediately attracts us. But usually we need to spend a little time or make a little effort to truly understand a poem. Today I'd like to share some tips for reading poetry in ways that make the experience better with the goal of improving your own poetry writing.
Sometimes a poem that seems boring on first reading becomes clear with more readings. A poem that feels meaningless becomes deeper and more meaningful. And sometimes you're just not in the right mood the first time you read a poem, but later it touches your heart. Keep a dictionary and a poetry reference book at hand when you are reading poetry. Poets are fond of using unusual words.
Read aloud and listen to the poem. Some poems have unclear structures and hearing a poet's reading will make the poem's rhythm clear.
After you finish reading a poem, take a few moments to consider what it is saying. Sometimes its meaning are better understood through repeated readings.
It is hard to say that there's a right and wrong way to read poetry, but there is an argument to be made for reading practices that will enrich your experience, increase your enjoyment, and deepen your understanding of any poem.
A. Besides, a poet's reading can even help understand the poem's meaning.
B. Keep a record to track the poets you've studied and the poems you've read.
C. Other times they are grasped through reflection on a poem.
D. The same is true with poetry.
E. Reading a poem repeatedly will deepen your understanding of it.
F. Study the poet's life and read some of his other works to gain deeper understanding.
G. Instead of skipping over these words or trying to guess their meanings, look them up.
