Introduction to Poetry

Inspired by Heather’s Poetry Thursday posts I had to share this one with you.

I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide

or press an ear against its hive.

I say drop a mouse into a poem
and watch him probe his way out,

or walk inside the poem’s room
and feel the walls for a light switch.

I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author’s name on the shore.

But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.

They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.

Introduction to Poetry by Billy Collins.

Ah who hasn’t felt that way about poetry sometimes right? I’ve been reading Poetry 180 and 180 More lately and am enjoying poems from the playful to the thoughtful to the provocative. You can find a lot more poems at the Poetry 180 web site. Enjoy.

11 Comments
  1. February 23, 2007
  2. February 23, 2007
  3. February 23, 2007
  4. February 23, 2007
  5. February 23, 2007
  6. February 23, 2007
  7. February 23, 2007
  8. February 24, 2007
  9. February 24, 2007
  10. February 24, 2007
  11. February 26, 2007