Reading Poetry

In the past, I’ve written about my confusion around poetry. Poetry is highly romanticized but I just didn’t get it. Now, I have a much better understanding of the beauty of the art form. But I was curious to hear the response of my poet friend, as I asked her, “why do you like poetry?” And her answer has stuck with me. She said that “understanding a poem was like knowing a secret.”

See, understanding a poem is hard work. It’s much like solving a math problem. At first it may not make sense. But then you read it again and again, approach it from a different angle, and maybe ask for some hints. Eventually, it clicks. And that moment of understanding feels incredible. It’s a similar process for understanding a poem. You have to read over it multiple times, struggle over each word, then eventually it makes sense. And when it makes sense you have this “secret” that few others know about. That’s the magic of poetry.