Any suggestions on how to gain an appreciation for poetry?

1. 81

   mskillsposted 12 years ago

   Any suggestions on how to gain an appreciation for poetry?
   
   I just don't "get" poetry.  I fail to comprehend the advantages of the format, except for when it has been written expressly for vocalizing through speech or song.

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2. 58

   Gingerrevolutionposted 12 years ago

   Yes, you have to start by finding a singular poet who you appreciate.
   As a former English Lit student I was more a fan of fiction and novels than poetry, then we started studying Edwin Morgan, the War poets and some other nitty gritty stuff, which I much prefer.
   Lois MacNiece did a brilliant one called 'Bagpipe Music' that whenever I read it makes me here the pipes behind it. Also, 'High Windows' (I forget who it was by but I think Edwin Morgan) is another of my favorites just because it's not haughty poetry about flowers and summers days.
   I think it's just a case of finding one poet or one group of poets that you enjoy. Remember as well that more often than not song lyrics are just poems with music to them, so if you are a big fan of music there could be a starting point there for you.

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3. 60

   Sarah Shepherdposted 12 years ago

   Some poems then, in accordance with what you've stated about songs, would and should be deeply appreciated by you.  Some poems flow effortlessly... rhyming and flowing without YOU the reader, having to put too much thought into it.  But even I, an avid writer of Poetry, must admit that there are some who write "poetry" and I do not quite understand.  I guess I'm a lot like you, then.  I only enjoy certain types of poetry and do not understand the rest...  If you are interested in trying out your first step to appreciation (at least of some - which is better than none!) you could always check out one of my poems.. I like Dead Like Me and Make Me Your Last Sacrifice.  Tell me what you honestly like and dislike about them and I would love to continue the question... But if you're not up for it, I say: you already DO have an appreciation for poetry if u enjoy it in songs.  Hope this wasn't too long!  Take Care!!
   
   Sarah

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4. 59

   The black mistposted 12 years ago

   well i first got into writing when i was about 12.
   i would read all type's of poetry. i never had a specific writer i was interested in. i have been basically writing about the same gen. since then and it works for me.
   the only writers i know by name are mya angelo and edger alen poe... i know then by name, not by lit.

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5. 60

   Joseph Laneposted 12 years ago

   Easy, start reading Charles Bukowski and Walt Whitman. If those two don't blow your mind, then well, maybe poetry isn't meant for you.

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6. 59

   Midianiteposted 12 years ago

   Not to promote my stuff or anything, but check out some of my poems.
   
   To properly answer your question, the 'topic' of the poetry you read probably influences what you think about it.

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7. 59

   SpanStarposted 12 years ago

   Poetry may not be for everyone.
   
   If one looks at poetry in the same clinical sense as one would look at statistical data you will not get much out of poetry.
   
   I find poetry a journey in which the reader willfully want to take that journey along with the poet.
   
   Good poetry can cover a vast distance in a short amount of time.

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8. 79

   ii3rittlesposted 12 years ago

   There is so many styles and types of poetry out there. You said you like poetry in the form of song, so try finding poetry that has a rhyming scheme. I have written poetry since I was 12 or so, and when I first started, I had trouble finding poetry I liked. I'd usually just read my own! Don't give up though, you will find some!

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9. 78

   junksellerposted 12 years ago

   No one has to like poetry.
   
   To me the "vocalization" of a poem is an important part of poetry, so if you enjoy works that are meant to be vocalized in song or speech, than I would say that you DO like poetry.
   
   There is a lot of variety in poetry. There are plenty of classics that I really don't care for, and at the same time, there is a lot of poetry that I think is world-changing.
   
   Personally I prefer modern poetry vs classics, short vs long and unrigid vs rigid. Some of my favorites are Charles Bukowski, James Dickey, and Silvia Curbelo.
   
   For me poetry is simply about maximizing the power of words - condensing them down in to a form that can feel like a punch in the gut. Like a good song lyric that seems to have been written specifically for you.
   
   Take this single line from Silvia Curbelo's "Between Language and Desire"
   
   "There is no honest metaphor for bread."
   
   It helps knowing the rest of the poem, but even by itself, to me anyway, it has a tremendous amount of meaning.

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10. 59

    Meg Ingramposted 12 years ago

    its really basic , you can create your own style that fits you , it could be threw lyric, or even art in a way the doors are endless  i my self tend to either linger in song or regular poetry writting .. in the end i want u to think of it this way ok: poetry isnt standard its freedom its outside the box create an exspress,

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