You have to slow down for poetry.
In good poetry, the words are placed with such care and precision; we must treat them with respect.
Too many adults leave poetry behind with their high school English classes – something for smarter people than I, something for more sophisticated people than I.
Great poetry is for everyone, but you have to slow down for it.
Our lives are filled with prose, most of consumed via screens, either read ourselves or delivered by actors or newscasters.
Why not set aside a little bit of time to slow down for poetry?
Here’s a top-of-my-head list of poets to start with.
Mary Oliver
Elizabeth Alexander
Naomi Shihab Nye
Brian Andreas
Billy Collins
I also suggest Garrison Keillor’s Writer’s Almanac, which includes him reading aloud a poem a day.
Your life will be profoundly enriched if you give yourself the time to experience poetry – with no judgements, no expectations, nothing but slowing down and immersing yourself in the words.