How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Poetry

A white cup of tea sits on a saucer atop a gray, textured surface surrounded by lace ribbon, white flowers, and two open poetry books—one held by a person's hands. The soft lighting and delicate decor give the setup a calm, introspective vibe.

This past April was National Poetry Month. To celebrate, I read three books of poems and have another two checked out to read belatedly.

Poetry and I do not have a long history, the way that novels and I do. I’ve been reading for as long as I can remember, and whether that be a family drama, a high fantasy, or surrealist horror, there’s always some novel I’ve been enjoying. Even nonfiction and I have had a relationship, as for the past few years I’ve been getting into reading memoirs and biographies, as well as the odd scientific or historical account.

But it wasn’t until the past autumn that a poet friend convinced me to give poetry a go, and I was surprised how fast I’ve fallen in love. Classics like Emily Dickinson, contemporary award-winners like Jericho Brown, even relative unknowns like Sarah Gambito - these are all poets who have begun filling my “Favorite” lists on Goodreads.

Chances are, though, that you are not reading any poets, ones I mentioned above or otherwise. You might not have even known April was National Poetry Month. Don’t feel bad if you didn’t, there’s always next year. Heck, there’s always today. What’s stopping you from checking out the first poetry collection you see at a Mercer County Library System branch that looks interesting? Seriously, what’s stopping you?

I have noticed that there are so many people who were the way I was. So many people who love reading and yet, ask them what the last poem they read was and they’d draw a blank. More than that, I’ve noticed so many people who want to read poems, but never get around to it.

Curious, I’ve asked people I know, and have seen their responses. Two friends, one who exclusively reads young adult (either romance or romantasy) and the other who exclusively reads classics from the 19th century or older, had a similar response: “I would like to read poetry, but I don’t think I would be able to understand it properly.” A third friend, who reads a bit of everything, said something else: “Is there anything in poetry that would interest me?”

I cannot blame them for their responses. A year ago, I would have said something similar. But as someone who has faced my fears, let me tell you: I was SO wrong.

There was this notion in my head that poetry was something difficult to understand. That it was so cryptically written that it would take me a lifetime to properly “understand” even one poem. But in actually reading poetry, I’ve realized I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Sure, there’s plenty of difficult poems, but so are there plenty of difficult novels. Many jump out at you, their meaning clear as day. Even more have second or third meanings, making it fun, not difficult, to go through them. I find myself not spending an eternity on a poem because it’s too hard for me to understand, but because I’m having so much fun with it that I don’t want to move on.

Plus, there are many more types of poems out there than you might have realized. A memoir written through poems. Simple and amusing poems. Deep, existential musings of the soul. Critiques of race and society. Even multiple coming-of-age narratives, with plots and characters and everything, just told through poetry.

So, whether you are interested in going through the classics, reading modern “Insta”-style poetry, looking at poetic memoirs and essays, or thinking about reading a narrative poetry book, just try one! You might find a great collection and ask yourself “How could I ever have lived without it?”

And to anyone who has sat here reading this, thinking, “Hey! This isn’t really about me. I’ve been reading poetry for ages! Longer than you!” then congratulations! I hope you continue loving poetry for years to come. Maybe one day we’ll trade recommendations with each other.

Some poetry collections that I think are worth looking at, all of which are available at MCLS: