BY DAVID NICHOLSON
A friend of mine belongs to a book club that meets monthly, and every October, the topic is poetry. She's required to choose one or two poems and bring them to the group to read aloud, something that throws her into a panic. Like many people, she feels she doesn't understand poetry, especially contemporary poetry, and avoids reading it. That's unfortunate, because poetry, like music, can be a great source of inspiration or a place to escape into. Here are a few .
* Poetry swings. Poetry doesn't always have to rhyme, but poetry usually has rhythm. One source describes poetry as language organized by rhythm. It can range from classic rhyming poetry to contemporary, in-your-face slam poetry.
Poets often challenge themselves to compose a poem within a specific structure. Shakespeare's sonnets were written in iambic pentameter, meaning there are 10 syllables per line and every other syllable is naturally accented. Haiku, a form of traditional Japanese poetry, is written in three lines of five, seven and five syllables.
* Poetry sings. One author said a poem is meant to be heard just like a song is meant to be sung. Reading a poem out loud often helps to unravel its meaning, but maybe not. Sometimes a poem can be a series of nonsensical words that just sound great when strung together. Most good things in life require a little extra effort, so think of poetry that way. Some poems spill off the tongue easily while others can leave you tongue-tied.
* Poetry sighs. There may be emotions that a reader takes from the poem, but not necessarily ones that the poet intends. Different people can feel different things in a poem. Some poems are comical, others heroic. Some may have surface beauty simply by the way in which they are constructed, while others may suggest a hidden meaning.
* Poetry's sly. Just as an abstract painter may not know exactly what lies behind the meaning of a painting, a poet may not know exactly what his words are trying to say. Like a good play, a poem can exist on many levels. It can be enjoyed simply for the way the words and phrases are arranged, or it can suggest deeper meanings.
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