Introduction to Poetry

Poetry is an extremely special genre.  Through poems we can experience joy, grief, and wonder, but they also invite us to see every day life in a new light.  In "Introduction to Poetry," Billy Collins reveals a fascinating explanation of what poetry can do and how to enjoy it.  

To begin with,  Collins creates images through the use of similes and metaphors helping the reader understand his ideas.  By looking through the light of a colored slide, I can see the poem's meaning and by pressing an ear against its hive, I can learn to hear the sweetness the poem holds. From walking inside a poem's room looking for a light switch to gliding as a waterskier across the poem, I can get the feeling of experiencing the poem firsthand.

Later, Collins ends the poem with a change in mood and tone.  After his bright images of how a poem should be read, he ends his poem with, "But all they want to do/is tie the poem to a chair with rope and torture a confession out of it."  This personification of a poem being tortured shows how forcing an interpretation out of a poem can be a criminal act.

In the end, this poem leaves a lasting impression. I chose it because I always used to think that there were secret interpretations of a poem that need to be found.  Instead, Collins knows how important it is for readers to find their own meanings and connections in the poems they read.