How To Read a Poem

First, read the words on the page. Pause. Read them again.

Then, if the poet’s voice is not yet singing in your ears, read the poem aloud. Observe the line breaks gently but don’t be afraid to rush on if you want to get to the end of a thought without pause.

Now, lay the poem aside. Go about your business. Try not to think about the poem, but if it rushes into a corner of your mind as you are typing your lesson plan or walking five miles through the city or making orange chicken with a side of curried cauliflower, notice which words have survived.

Come back to the poem. Put on your parachute. Be prepared to start on the ground, go up in the air, all in logical procession, then leap into what you did not expect--the air of loose connections, the passion of falling. Allow for conclusions that decide you into a place that lifts you out of the poem and into free fall.

Where in your body did you feel the poem? What memory leapt first into your thoughts, evoked by the poet’s images? Say aloud what you think the message of the poem was. Recognize the poet as messenger who brings your own life to you in different wrappings.

Rest. Turn to the next poem.

gl

Photo: Sky Reflected in Tide-Wet Shore, Bolinas Bay