Poetry has a PR problem. In our “quick read” monoculture, it is considered difficult, exacting, deliberately obscure, out-of-keeping with the times. I think this view is largely shaped by the way we were taught poetry in school (if at all) — it was often “memorize the lines!” (brute force) and “what is the theme?” (when often, poetry is about shape and sound and cannot be so easily reduced). In other words, the proposed heuristics of its reading felt punishing rather than generative. Poetry — especially when written in classical form and meter — can also seem procedural, decorous even, in ways that feel cheesy to the modern sensibility. It can seem like prose wearing a top hat and monocle. I succumbed to this view — poetry is old, stuffy, even as I continued to try to write it on my own — until a professor in my English Lit survey course at UVA told us: “Poetry is a distillation of emotion.” Its form demands tremendous and genre-specific restraint, care, and precision on the part of the poet — while also requiring the reader to spend much more time decoding than straight prose typically does.
But.
Reading poetry in the morning, preferably in the well-lit garret on our top floor, is one of my favorite “sister of time” activities. It somehow simultaneously slows me to a still — drawing me to the needlepoint of a punctuation mark, or to the inch-long narrowness of a well-turned phrase — while also releasing me to a place of play and exploration. And I think the latter is something that is often overlooked, missed, when we talk about poetry.
Billy Collins put it best:
So, let us begin by unlearning the ways we’ve been taught to read poetry, which is more akin to solving a puzzle than what it should be: soaking in a sensory bath. Letting potential meanings and language experiences run across the mindscape like spilled milk. It’s OK if a word or a line or a stanza invites multiple, irresolvable sensations. A lot of poetry invites cognitive dissonance. A lot of it also invites play.
If you are thinking of beginning with poetry, I have a few specific suggestions. This will come as no surprise, but I find Mary Oliver to be the most gracious doyenne for getting started with the genre. She writes it plain, clear, accessible prose. A lot of her stanzas read like weekday conversation. But the prowess and rich insight of her lines, the way she watches the world and weaves meaning into it, and especially the ways she crafts her elisions between the natural world and its possible personifications invite us to a higher plain. My favorite poetry volume of hers is Owls and Other Fantasies. A perfect introduction to her and to poetry more generally. Ideal morning poetry!
My other recommendation is to pick up an anthology of poetry, which will expose you to a wide range of voices, styles, and forms. I like to open my anthologies to a random page to see what the poetry gods have in store for me, but you can also of course read chronologically (they are often organized according to date, which presents a different kind of analytical provocation, as you observe how the historical context gradually shapes the overall trajectory of the genre). I personally love the Penguin 20th Century Anthology of American Poetry, edited by the wondrous Rita Dove. She offers us a wide and thoughtful canon of diverse voices, and I have discovered many new poets I’d never heard of despite majoring in and then earning an M.A. in English with a focus on 20th century poetry. (I wish she provided a blurb on the socio-cultural context of each poem, but then that might foist a certain style of scansion upon us.) One benefit of the anthology: you might discover you are drawn to a specific poet or style, and this might help in sourcing your next book of poetry.
Finally, you can reference my list of poems that feel like a deep breath, which includes a collection of some of my absolute favorite verses of all times. Words that have carried me through choppy seas and emotional maelstroms.
On a tactical level, and not to be too prescriptive (!) because, per bad book girl code, we must observe that there are many ways and reasons to read —
I would personally suggest finding a quiet place and a cleared desk and a pocket of at least ten minutes in which you will not be interrupted, urgent-feeling, or otherwise highly distractible. Sit with a pen in your hand and be unafraid of marking up the margins. Circle words that jump out or delight or vex. Underline repetitions or patterns that catch your eye. Note the sounds of things and the line breaks. Tilt your head to take in the shape of the text on the page. Does it look long and narrow, short and blocky, sawed-off at the line break? You don’t need to explain any of this. Just observe. To me, the musicality is the most important thing. How would you describe its pace, its energy, its sound? Is it fast and rushed and clipped? Is it languid and longing? Is it difficult to read aloud — i.e., do the words get stuck as you pronounce them? — or does it seem to flow of its own volition?
I wrote about this kind of study adjacently with regard to the title “The Wind in the Willows.” If you were to perform a technical scansion, you would probably talk about the falling rhythm of its metrical feet: it is a dactyl followed by a trochee, which are just fancy terms describing where the accent falls when you are reading the lines aloud. You’d say the Wind in the Will-ows, with emphasis on the wind and the will. The poet knows what he’s doing here: creating a sense of rolling motion that echoes the visual of wind whistling through arcing branch. Meanwhile, the repetition of those “wi” sounds only amplifies the sensation through its sound symbolism: the sound our mouths make when reading the letter “w” is breathy, blowing, and feels soft, non-abrupt (unlike, say, a plosive “b,” “k,” etc). We could go on and on, but you don’t really need to know about sound symbology or metrical scansion to unpack the feeling that language gives you. You could just underline and write a little note on the side: “this has a feeling of lulling flow.” One of my go-to practices when reading a poem for the first time is jotting down words that seem to appear in my mind almost without reflection as I’m reading the stanzas. It could be a memory, a person, a sound, a time of year, an image, or just a word that sounds like or describes what you’re reading. These all help me wrap my mind around what a poem is saying to me on any given Tuesday.
My last little bitS of unsolicited advice: 1) keep your sessions brief. I love poetry but I quickly fatigue of reading in this mode — it is an active kind of engagement! A poem, maybe two, per day is lovely and I would say even more impactful than reading several end-to-end. If I read more than two poems, it feels like I’m trying to drink the entire sea in one sitting. 2) re-read poems! This might feel counterintuitive if you’re new to the genre and wanting exposure, but you will be shocked at how much tumbles out on each revisiting. It will only underscore the power and play of this medium. You’ll find new gems lining the seams each time. Or maybe you’ll realize you actually dislike a poem the more you read it. And that’s perfectly fine too. Your job as a reader is not to “like” everything!
I’ll pause here – what other questions or ideas do you have about reading poetry?
Post-Scripts.
+Where do you like to read in your home?
+A villanelle (obscure, highly structured poetic form) that absolutely knocked me out. Incredible craft.
+The sandpiper. Another Elizabeth Bishop treasure.
Shopping Break.
+I just placed an order at Buck Mason for this gorgeous shrunken-fit cashmere cardigan (can you even! the color, the silhouette, the cable knit!) and these deeply popular pull-on “work pants.” I love a utility pant for writing. Cannot wait for that order to arrive. I’m tracking it like a hawk!
+Trending, for good reason: this perfect navy long-sleeve tee. We love an elevated basic. (Did you see they released our favorite short-sleeved tee in a new burgundy hue?! So good with my fall lineup). Use code JENSHOOP15.
+The other long sleeve I love, and I say this semi-sheepishly: these Skims long-sleeves. They are, regrettably, worth it. I own in a few colors and they are a major gap-filler in a wardrobe. I use whenever I’m wearing a fuller pair of pants or a full skirt and want a little definition up top OR beneath a chunkier-fit cardigan. Do not size down — these really hug/contour the body.
+Marea’s shawl collar cardi was just restocked! And my favorite wear-over-all-athleisure vest is now shipping immediately in several sizes. Try code MAREA10.
+The most interesting shoes I’ve seen in a minute. Just LOVE the leopard print and the little charm add-ons.
+If you’re loving the leopard but want a boot variation: OMG. These are SUCH great stacked-heel booties! I have them in an ashy-brown suede from a past season and love them for pairing with fall floral skirts and dresses. But the leopard is a revelation!
+While you’re there: sweatpant jeason is nigh. My personal favorite way to style these is either with an oversized La Ligne Marin (truly a forever-investment in the navy and white striped options — use code MAGPIE10) or with this specific oversized white button down (a styling tip gleaned from a Magpie reader! The proportions are great and the look feels styled/intentional versus sloppy).
+A great knit option for pairing with holiday skirts and trousers, especially the burgundy for Thanksgiving! Love the details and texture. Alice Walk vibes for less.
+Two fab winter coats: this “doe” faux fur jacket (!!!) and this cheerful red puffer! The cropped silhouette and collar are fab. There is also a vest version with a fun faux-fur detail at the collar.
+I know I just mentioned Ruggable yesterday, but I really have become their no. 1 fan. I was just raving about them to my neighbor, and I told her: truly, if I could go back to when my daughter was born, I’d roll up any higher-end rugs and replace with these until through the kid years — and maybe not even then. I’ve now installed this rug (currently 30% off) in our primary bedroom and this one in my studio (currently 20% off!!!!) and I cannot rave more about them. Yes, they’re machine washable (and I have washed some of the smaller mats / kitchen runners) but for a bigger spaces, this isn’t really feasible / isn’t the draw for me. In our bedroom / my office, I simply love the elegant motifs, the plush underfoot feeling, and the fact that I won’t have that pit in my stomach if the kids spill or track in mud on them because they’re more accessibly priced. It’s such a relief? My new studio one from their brand-new easy care wool collection is so calming and beautifully textured. I just LOVE her. Scene.
+Do you do seasonal bedding? We got these flannel sheets last year and I thought I’d hate them (be too hot) but I LOVED them and even Landon didn’t mind them (he’s like a furnace in the bed too). If the thought of the flannel sheets is too much, you can get this flannel duvet and layer over crisp, piped-edged sheets (<<I have this exact set with the holly red piping and have already been using this season!), which I also do!
+Meanwhile, these or these are perfect for the kids’ beds, and both are 40% off!
+For just a NOD to the season, my friend Inslee just collaborated with B+B on these charming embroidered sets.
+OK, the comments on this nosy post on personal grooming/self-care are a complete gold mine. Because of the comments, I just booked a threading appointment (had been confused about alt options to waxing while using retinol!) and ordered several of the items readers have recommended: this pre-shower exfoliating body mask (melts away dead skin, clears sebum build-up, and smooths out bumps) and as well as AND this “bisou balm” by a French brand as a long-lasting lipstick alternative to a stain. (I got the latter in the rose latte color while 15% off at Sephora. Apparently the trick is to apply the lip balm and then top with something hydrating. I’m going to use my go-to Idriss lip baste, which I first ordered for a long haul flight but have used DAILY, religiously since.)
+I’m also going to try dermaplaning this winter. I can’t decide if I should find an aesthetician to do this for me (one of you does this!) or if I should try this electronic/sonic one that also came up. Excited regardless. New frontiers!
+Another gem of a rec from that thread if you’re on the hunt for a true rose scented body lotion.
+Cannot stop thinking about this dress. I have zero places/events to wear it but sometimes it’s good to take a leap and then you just have something you LOVE when the occasion manifests.
+A perfect Christmas dinner skirt.
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