Recently, one of our wonderful librarians took on the touchy subject of poetry here on the blog, namely getting over the apprehension that often comes with the suggestion of reading poetry. I completely agree with her, both that reading poetry can cause that knot in your stomach that often comes with trying something unfamiliar, but that it can also be a rewarding experience. I loved poetry in high school so much that I became co-founder and president of my high-school’s poetry club and continued to love it in college, but as an adult (at least in theory), I’ve found my poetry-reading falling to the wayside and only occasionally reading a poem and even rarely reading a volume of poetry. I’ve been grateful that the Classics book group has embraced National Poetry Month and our coinciding April selection has been a book of poetry the last few years as it reminded me how enjoyable poetry can be. So why did I all but stop reading it?

The hard truth of it is, poetry requires thought. It doesn’t have a plot that you can follow (usually- ballads are often an exception here and I highly recommend Loreena McKennit’s rendition of Alfred Noyes’s “The Highwayman” for a thrilling poem-turned-song/story). Meaning isn’t always discernible upon the first reading, so poetry often requires time as well as effort and with so many books to read, who has the time for poetry? It’s also a hard truth that not all poetry is for everyone. When I visited Scotland, I took a brief day-tour into the Highlands including a whisky distillery visit. The tour guide told us Scotch novices that not all whisky is for all people and his father gave him some advice: “Finding the right whisky is like finding the right woman. You often have to test out several types before you find the one you want to spend a lot of time with.” Scottish pragmatism aside, I think there’s a solid parallel to poetry here. Some people like free verse, others prefer that poems rhyme. Some people like haiku, while others prefer long ballads. There may be people who want to think long and hard about a poem, while others prefer to have at least some meaning visible from the start. Not everyone likes the same type of poetry and that’s OK because there is plenty of great poetry in many different styles out there to choose from. It just may take a little experimentation to find what you like.

All those poetry choices can be bewildering and further contribute to the anxiety that comes with starting poetry. So how does someone get over it? There are a lot of different options, and like poetry itself, it may take a couple of tries to find the one that works for you. The Millions has offered a brief list of poems for people who hate poetry, so that may be a good place to start. My humble suggestion might be a bit radical, but if you’re truly a metrophobe looking to overcome your fears, it may help to remember the fun of poetry and start with perusing collections that are designed for kids. I’ve already talked about how kids’ books can be an appealing, entertaining respite from adult books and I believe the same holds true for poetry. Furthermore, there are plenty of children’s poetry collections that have poems with broad appeal from traditional “classic” authors. Kids’ poetry titles can be a way of easing yourself into poetry and a reminder that poetry can be fun and enjoyable.

To that end, here are a few suggestions that might just get you over your metrophobia and help you to enjoy poetry:

I’ve Lost My Hippopotamus by Jack Prelutsky

Next to Shel Silverstein, Jack Prelutsky might be the poet most synonymous with kids’ poetry, and for good reason. Many of his verses are light, funny and downright absurd. This compilation includes some hysterical animal combinations like the “penguinchworm” and the “buffalocust” that remind us all that there’s nothing wrong with being silly, particularly when it’s such a productively creative outlet. But there are some deeper poems too, like “The Afternoon My Hamster Died” which deals (albeit briefly) with themes of loss, conflicting emotions and the sense of not really knowing someone. This (and plenty of his other collections) have great potential to bring the joy back into reading poetry.

Cool Melons Turn to Frogs by Matthew Gollub, Kazuko G. Stone and Keiko Smith

This book is an amazing blend of biography and poetry that can easily appeal to nonfiction readers of all ages. While the book tells the story of Issa, a Japanese haiku master, the biography is punctuated with Issa’s haiku poems. This sense of background information allows the reader to gain greater insight into the poems’ meanings, the genre of haiku and how life and poetry can inform each other. The illustrations illuminate the verses beautifully offering additional levels understanding into the poems offered. If you’ve ever thought that a picture book was just for kids or if you’ve ever thought that poetry’s meanings are impenetrable, this sophisticated book will almost certainly change your mind.

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

If the slew of honors (Newbery Honor, National Book Award and Coretta Scott King Award) gracing the cover of this book don’t convince you that it’s worth reading a book of poems, perhaps the premise will. This book is a fascinating and brilliant combination of free verse poems that tell the story of Woodson’s life growing up in the North and the South during the 1960’s and 70’s. Each poem acts as a chapter furthering the story of her life during that time and each chapter/poem offers deeper insight into thoughts and feelings in a way that expository prose simply can’t accomplish. This is not only an important work, ingeniously formatted, but an accessible one as well and a great, accessible start to poetry.

National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry ed. by J. Patrick Lewis

Come for the pictures, stay for the poetry. This book is simply amazing. It’s filled with stunning animal photography that you would expect from National Geographic and pairs those photos with poems about the animals depicted. But this compilation is so much more than that. Instead of taking  takes existing poems and excerpts from well-known names like Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Benjamin Franklin and more. Maybe you were intimidated by some of these poets in school, but somehow, when combined with gorgeous, detailed photos illustrating what the poets are talking about, the poems don’t seem quite so ominous. Instead, they seem joyful, whimsical when taken out of a stodgy textbook context. Organized by animal type (winged ones, strange ones, water ones, etc.) this book is ripe for browsing and picking and choosing. You’re certain to find a poem you appreciate, and maybe even will want to share somewhere among these pages.

Bonus Selection:

Essential Pleasures ed. by Robert Pinsky

This book is in the adult section, not the kids’ section, but it has one essential item in common with many children’s books: the idea of reading aloud. Poetry, like kids’ books are often at their best and most meaningful when they are read aloud. There’s something wonderfully comforting about having someone read to you and this poetry collection does just that. Pinsky, former U.S. Poet Laureate and creator of the Favorite Poem Project, collected a number of poems that work best, not when they are read, but when they are heard. To enforce that, the book is accompanied by a CD of 21 of the poems read aloud by Pinsky. I don’t like to play favorites with my library books, but this book is one that I’m extremely proud to have in the South’s collection. If this concept strikes a chord with you or if you get addicted to hearing poems read aloud (as many were meant to), consider checking out PoemsOutLoud.net which has a large collection of poets reading poems. For the ultimate read-aloud poetry experience, you can also check out this blog’s feature on the Illiad executed by the Almeida Theatre in London.

This weekend, dear readers, I invited you to take a step towards easing that poetical anxiety and simply read a poem. Bonus points if you read it out loud, triple score if you read it out loud to someone else. Pick one, pick a few, just pick something that resonates with you and sparks an interest. Feel free to laugh! Poetry doesn’t have to be serious, but, as the Pinsky title intimates, it should always be something pleasurable and enjoyed.