Introduction to Poetry by Billy Collins

Billy Collins
Introduction to Poetry

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 then 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 a rope
and torture a confession out of it.

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



Comment:
In my impression, writing and understanding poetry is an impossible mission for me. However, this poem is very approachable. There are the reasons. First, the poet uses the common diction to describe the poem. Furthermore, this poem does not have a rhyme. The rules of the rhyme is difficult for my to identify because there are many words I have hard time to pronounce.
The poem could be divided into two sections. The first section is about the happy and enjoyable way to learn and interpret poetry. It simply tells us we can use all of our senses to experience what the true meaning of a poem. Some people may learn from visual images, some people may prefer listening rather than reading, and others may want to learn throughout their physical experiences.
The second section is opposite to the first section. This section begins with: "But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with a rope." Even though the learning process of the section section seems very painful, it is still a way to understand poetry.