Guide to Poetry: Enter the Universe Where Science Fails but Emotions Prevail

In three words I can sum up everything I have learned about poetry: It lives on.

A few broken sentences, abrupt grammar, repetition of words and phrases, and a sense of something meaningful in the often jumbled verses—that is poetry. TikTok and Instagram Reels might have simplified things exponentially in 2023, but poetry still holds this very essence from the carvings of prehistoric cavemen and the earliest shamans. No guide to poetry, the ethereal art form, can ever begin without acknowledging its footprints on human history, influencing it by tapping into who we are and what we can become.

From Shakespeare contributing words to the English language to John Milton inspiring the American Revolution or the works of Tagore and Kazi Nazrul fueling the Indian war for independence to the nameless men and women who scribed little poems on the back of their journals, poetry has lived and breathed among us as an eternal friend. 

In this guide to poetry, I will share my thoughts and views on how to enter the dragon, in other words, the universe of poetry, and learn how to read and understand poetry as it is.

Guide to Poetry: What is it and Why is it?

An attempt to define poetry is like defining the path of a raindrop. Unpredictable. Discreet. How can you even track that droplet once it touches the earth, flows and sneaks in through cracks, and travels under the surface?

Surely, there is no science to writing a great poem. No hard rules or formulas or the perfect recipe. Yet, what binds together the heart of every poem is its ability to go beneath the crust of human skin and touch us where we were scared (but waiting) to be touched.

So instead of what is poetry, I’ll talk briefly about why poetry is significant to our existence in this beginner’s guide to poetry.

Let’s look at it this way. If there is a word you do not know, you can open the Oxford Dictionary, or more conveniently ask Google, and you will get the meaning. But if there is an emotion you do not feel, there is no convenient tool to make you feel it. And if there is a boiling emotion deep beneath your skin and you can’t bring it to the surface, there is no science to help you out. This is where art, regardless of its form, comes in. 

If there is a thought you want to express but know no single word to convey the full depths of it, there is no AI djinn to do it accurately for you. But if you can delicately envelop it in a poem (yours or penned by someone dead for centuries), you will be able to clone a piece of your soul and place it deep inside the heart of another.

Unlike science, this will never be marred by the surge of technological advancements.

How to Read and Understand Poetry?

“I want them to waterski / across the surface of a poem / waving at the author’s name on the shore.”

Billy Collins, Introduction to Poetry

Looking for an adventure down dark dungeons, mystic gardens, serpentine mountain trails, and shrouded canyons? Poetry can help. But, not literally.

That’s the key to reading and understanding poetry. It is not, usually, a literal depiction of themes or messages, unlike prose. A verse, on a surface level, might simply talk about flowers, honey bees, rolling clouds, or infinitely different things while they could be metaphors for human life, emotions, societal events, or even politics.

To understand a poem, sit with an open mind and some patience. Some poems will hit your soul right off the package, even when you are inside a busy crowd, while some will creep inside your soul in the solitude of the late night. 

Think of a poem as a shapeless fluid ready to take up the shape of your thoughts and imagination. The poet might have added a bit of color or fragrance to make it more to your liking, but in the end, it is yours to shape, weave, and transform.

Also, consider poems as the best guide to poetry. This means, the more you read the better you will get at deciphering them. Supplement it with reading about the poet’s life, the social situation leading up to the poem, and even the general literature backdrop of that era.

There are many other step-by-step guides on how to read and understand poetry (and I might come up with one too), but this was my take on it. Here’s a more conventional one for reference.

How to Find Meaning in Poetry?

Delving into the more technical aspects of reading (or writing, if you will) poetry, there are a number of forms and styles of poetry to keep in mind. Some poems will have lines that rhyme at specific intervals while others will be free-flowing like a river.  

Then there is meter, rhyme scheme, and the usage of literary devices. For instance, Shakespearean sonnets are characterized by the fourteen-line form, abab rhyme scheme, and the iambic pentameter (more on these specific aspects in my upcoming posts on guide to poetry). On the other hand, elfchen is a typical eleven-word German poetry form and Haiku is a Japanese style that follows a 5-7-5 syllable form.

Finally, poetry relies heavily on literary devices like simile, metaphor, alliteration, and a bunch of other elements and techniques that have developed over centuries. The good thing is you don’t always need to recognize these devices by their names to enjoy a good poem. Many devices like personification, alliteration, and onomatopoeia can still weave the magic of emotions even if you are unaware of them. 

Honing Your Writing Skills: A Guide to Becoming a Poet

Robert Frost, an impeccable and influential American poet, once wrote, “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life. It goes on.” A century later, if I may, I’ll rephrase it in my guide to poetry and write, “In three words I can sum up everything I have learned about poetry: It lives on.”

If you are someone who wants to leave your footprint on this lasting legacy, it is never too late to start. The journey to enter the world of poetry writing starts with being honest with your thoughts and emotions.

Find a niche or genre of poetry that you’d want to read. Then, read as many poems as possible and ponder over them before you start to discover your own voice and style.

Then choose the poetic form that resembles your thoughts and put them down on paper (or any digital device). Your first-ever poem doesn’t have to be the greatest poem ever written. Nor does your tenth one have to be. As long as your words are honest, be proud of your efforts. Then write more.

Also, the suggestion of finding your niche is only meant to give you a starting point and not to limit your creativity. Be brave to experiment with styles and genres, break the rules, and even create your own.

Poetry as an Emotional Outlet

Taking a cue from my advice to stay true to yourself, poetry has long been recognized as a powerful form of emotional expression and a means of catharsis. It holds the potential to heal, uplift, and provide solace in times of emotional turmoil.

Through the creative use of words, you can give shape to your emotions and experiences. Whether you choose to write privately in a journal or share your work with others, poetry can become a tool for self-discovery and self-empowerment. Consider poets like Sylvia Plath, who used poetry to confront her inner struggles, or Maya Angelou, whose poetry celebrated resilience and empowerment. These poets and many others have left a legacy of using poetry as a means of emotional exploration.

To sum up this beginner’s guide to poetry, I’ll say reading (or writing) poetry can be as simple as a hobby or a Sunday morning tea break or even a way of life. These verses contain a universe within them and give us a brilliant opportunity to celebrate life at its best and worst.

Because what is life if not a poetry offering to the universe?

If you enjoy reading poetry, check out my book As I Tread On – a blend of free verse, sonnets, and narrative poetry with intermediate prose pieces to suit every mood of the reader and make them feel whole again.