I’ve tried getting into poetry before, but I think I haven found the right spot in my life for it? Usually I read when I have at least half an hour to spare – on my commute, before bed, a rainy afternoon alone, etc. But I can’t sit down, take a book of poems and then read one after another for 30 minutes, right?
It feels like I should give them more space. But then I never just feel like picking up the book, read a poem and then go on with something else.
Do you have a dedicated time, like reading one poem each day before bed? Do you sit down with a book of poetry, read one and then just think about it for a while until you’re ready for the next?
by peccorina
8 Comments
The last thing I do at night! Just read call us what we carry
ON the shitter. It usually involves something along the lines of sitting there broken hearted.
I read poems on my phone and usually read the same ones. I’m fond of the poem by William Blake- To see the world in a grain of sand.
I only read one occasionally.
I do read several poems in a row. I find I don’t always connect with one so it’s easy to do several. If I find one that hits me in the right spot, I’ll linger with it, but not everyone needs the same amount of space. And depending on the book you’re reading from, sometimes you gain more from reading several in a row from the thematic similarities or juxtaposition.
I find the best thing is to listen to it being read while walking in a peaceful place. My personal preference is chain-listening to https://theamericanscholar.org/dept/sections/departments/read-me-a-poem/ while strolling in the woods close to my place.
It’s great for discovering stuff you don’t know and to which you can return later.
My favorite time to read poetry is in the evenings, after work, at the bar, drinking a bourbon. If I try to fit poetry in at work or when I have other things on my mind, it doesn’t have the intended effect. Some people can do it, mostly poets. But I do think great poetry should be accessible, and not, like, sacred but most people – myself included – aren’t fluent in it enough to read it while we have other things on our minds and still have the experience the poet intended.
I don’t have much experience with real poetry, so take my advice with a grain of salt. Reading it like normal fiction won’t give much, but one shouldn’t sit and contemplate on every single poem either (unless it’s a really, really good collection). Maybe read one poem, think about it for a moment and if something catches your interest then you can linger a while – if not, then move on.
That’s my method. As goes for dedicating time – I read pretty much anywhere I can concentrate. Usually on my commute and before bed, but sometimes I don’t feel like it, and that’s okay because it shouldn’t be a chore.
Also, if you find something you like, discuss it with a friend!
You can subscribe to a [poem of the day email](https://www.poetryfoundation.org) from the Poetry Foundation.