Take Time To Read Poetry

 

Enrich Your Life With Poetry

By Pat Whelton  |   Submitted On August 25, 2011

  

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Poetry has a long history from the 3rd millennium BC. It has been written in various forms. It enters and exits our presence as we make this short journey through life. Sometimes it can be vague and overpowering when presented in the wrong light. In both second and third level education poems are discussed in a way which makes many feel they lack the equipment or the innate ability to respond. A poem is supposed to have a "meaning" which can be paraphrased or re-stated. It is assumed there are beauties which only the properly trained reader can discern. These may be in the way of minute verbal effects invisible to the ordinary reader, or, they may take the form of ambiguities and subtleties which were overlooked by the reader until the critic got to work. And almost always there is a "correct" way of responding to a poem of which the teacher or critic is aware but which the ordinary reader has to learn. This has resulted in a feeling among the ordinary reading public that there are difficulties about the appreciation of poetry which can not be overcome, even by effort.

Poetry is not something one should have to worry about; and it's certainly not something which should be confined to scholars whose innate knowledge gives them a better understanding. And I don't believe one should bother too much about the meaning of a poem before it has sunk into the soul in other ways, through rhythm, sound and imagery. Poems are meant to be enjoyed, to excite, and can be the most enriching thing one can encounter in life.

Poetry has the power to bring people together in expressions of love, birth and death. It can be melodious like Walter De La Mare's "The Song of the Mad Prince". Or obscure, leading one to draw your own conclusions, like Uphill written by Christina Rossetti.

Many English nursery rhymes go back to the seventeenth century and are derived from street-- cries, riddles, proverbs and children's games. Their lasting appeal is, they seem to be pure poetry, serving no purpose whatever. Here is a favourite -

Doctor Foster ( Anon)

Doctor Foster went to Gloucester

In a shower of rain.

He stepped in a puddle

Right up to his middle

And never went there again.

There is poetry to suit everyone, it will enrich your life, just give it the time it deserves. Learn to recite it on your own, this helps you feel the rhythm and enhances your perception of the poets thoughts and feelings. And if it can be related to an occurrence in your life that has a special meaning then it is a poem you will never forget. Here is one such poem.

TONY O
"Through the bleak and barren snow
A voice there came a calling"
"Where are you going to Tony O
Where are you going this morning"?

"I am going where there are rivers of wine
The mountains bread and honey"
"There kings and queens do mind the swine
And the poor have all the money"!

The next time you come across a poetry book in a shop or library, don't be afraid to pick it up and look inside. It may contain treasures you never knew existed.

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