How to Enjoy a Poem

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Paul_R_Cheney]Paul R Cheney
Back in 1992, a guy with a weird name wrote a book called Can Poetry Matter? His name was Dana Gioia.
Apparently, it made quite splash in the contemporary poetry world at the time. People are still talking about it.
You likely haven't read it.
I haven't read it either.
I haven't read it because I don't care if poetry matters.
In fact, I would say in the scheme of things poetry doesn't matter. We've all got lives to live. We've got work, school, families, etc. Those things (if they matter at all) certainly matter more than poetry.
The only thing poetry has to offer its readers is joy. If you as a reader don't enjoy reading a poem, it doesn't matter. Simple as that.
Now all that said, if you are a human, there are probably thousands of poems out there that you could enjoy. If you didn't think that was true to some extent, you wouldn't be reading this.
The trouble is, enjoyable activities of any kind require at least some amount of skill and training.
Take riding a bike for instance. In order to get the maximum amount of joy out of riding a bike, you need to learn how to do it. No skill, no joy. The better you get, the more joy you get. And the reason we learn to do it in the first place is because we see our friends enjoying it. We feel like if we don't learn to do it too, we're missing out.
Reading poetry is a skill. Luckily, it's a relatively easy skill and there's a lot of potential for joy. If there wasn't, I sure as heck wouldn't be wasting my time writing about it.
[Note: Or would I? *assuming fetal position*]
So because I like reading poetry and I consider myself OK at it, I'm going to tell you the process I use to get the most enjoyment out of a poem possible.
1. Read It To Yourself Silently
Ok. If you've ever read an introduction to a book of poetry, you know you're always supposed to read poems out loud.
While I generally agree, I don't usually read out loud the first few times around. I like to be able to skip around in a new poem until I understand the basics of what's going on.
Reading silently gives me the chance to absorb meaning, images, metaphors, etc. before I really get down to reading it.
2. Read It Over Until You Get It
One of the quickest ways to make a poet hate you is to read a poem of theirs and then say "I don't get it."
The truth is, if you can't see how brilliant a poem is, it's probably because it's not a good poem. Of course there are exceptions. If you don't understand or "get it" at first, try again. It usually takes me three solid read-throughs before I can start to make sense of a great poem.
If I read it five times, and I still don't get it, I've learned to either ignore it, or put it on the shelf for later.
3. Read It Out Loud
Typically, poems are meant to be read out loud. Something funny happens when you recite poetry. I think it has to do with the fact that a poem is physically coming out of you. It starts in your chest, passes through your mucusy vocal chords, and slides out through your mouth for all the world to hear.
Good poems tend to sound cool as well. That's definitely a plus. Whatever the reason, reading poems out loud takes the joy of a poem to another level.
4. Learn Some History
As humans, we love stories. We love them as poetry, sure, but we also love the stories behind poems. Knowing where a poem came from can sometimes be just as interesting as the poem itself. If not, it still adds depth and context.
If I really love a poem, I'm usually inclined to find out more about it. And I'm usually glad I did.
5. Learn Meter And Form
This is where enjoying poetry gets pretty hard for most people. Especially in a country where free verse reigns as the ultimate form. It helps to understand a little about rhythm and meter even for the most free of free verse poems.
I'll probably be talking more about this later, but for now, if you feel like reading up on it, I recommend thumbing through Poetic Meter and Poetic Form by Paul Fussell.
6. Poetry Doesn't Matter
I may be giving Dana G. a bad rap, but realizing this is probably the one thing that made poetry truly enjoyable for me. No matter how serious, or heartbreaking, or intellectually stimulating a poem is, it doesn't matter unless it brings you joy.
Don't be intimidated when you find one that doesn't do it for you. I used to get really down on myself if I read Shakespeare and couldn't understand or appreciate it. Don't do that. Sometimes poems don't hit us like they hit others. That's OK. Even when it's Shakespeare.
Paul is the author of 10 Poems, a free ebook of 10 poems available for download here: http://paulcheney.net/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Enjoy-a-Poem&id=6567588] How to Enjoy a Poem