Poetry and Me

I struggle greatly with poetry. After class, I realized that a lot of my fear and struggle with poetry comes from the way that it was taught in school. I was totally petrified of poetry because I could not understand it and I was supposed to figure out the “hidden meanings.” What did the author mean? Why would he/she write this poem? What feelings did it evoke in me as I read it? Poetry could not be something to read and enjoy because I could not see all of these secrets that my teacher could. I was also taught that to write poems and they either had to rhyme or have a certain amount of syllables.

I enjoy reading poetry that rhymes or poems that have a rhythm associated with it as I read. I have not had a lot of experience reading free verse before class. The book all the small poems and fourteen more by Valerie Worth is growing on me. I think as I have more of an opportunity to read this kind of poetry the more I will enjoy it. As I look back through the book and read some of the poems for the second time, I am finding more poems that I like and enjoy. I think poetry has to be read slowly and savored for the reader to understand, poetry cannot be read in a hurry.

I really enjoyed Love That Dog by Sharon Creech. I read it with my son and he enjoyed the novel as well. The novel was excellent and I was so surprised that a book written in free verse could be so good. I am looking forward to reading Hate That Cat. I loved the way Jack learned how to express himself through poetry. This book is excellent for any age to read because it talks about facing fears and overcoming anxiety, something that any age could identify with.

The book Brown Angels by Walter Dean Myers is precious. The children in the pictures come to life as I read the poems he has written about the children. I also love the way he uses the dialect so that you can hear the voices calling while you read the pictures.

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