National Poetry Month 2009-Understanding Poetry

Approaching poetry in a hurry to understand it is the wrong approach. Understanding some poetry is like getting used to drinking grape/orange Kool-Aid with orange and apple slices. You know there's a lot going on but you enjoy it nonetheless by savoring the blend, moving it around in your mouth and drinking slower. You extend the pleasure by patiently waiting to enjoy the fruit. The process is the same for understanding poetry.

Approaching poetry hoping to merely understand what the writer was trying to say is the wrong approach. There are always numerous meanings in poetry regardless of what the author intended. An artist's intent should never be the boundary. I'm still hoping to understand more about some of the poems I've written.

Approaching poetry merely as an intellectual event limits understanding to what the mind has experienced. To receive additional understanding the spirit must become engaged. After the mind reads poetry you must release it to your spirit, otherwise inspiration and encouragement are not possible.

With that being said, poetry whispers something different to each person. Some poetry will urge you to take a step towards your own personal next level. Its purpose is to not leave you where it found you. There's really no cause to be intimidated when it comes to understanding poetry. Poetry is like a child seeking friends to get to know. Welcome it and soon enough you will learn that poetry understands you.