“Introduction to Poetry” By Billy Collins

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 them 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 rope
and torture a confession out of it.

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

Did you take a poetry class in college? Or maybe a literature class that included some poetry? If you did, I’m sure you can picture it as the setting of this poem: lots of opinions, confidence, and determination without the mellowing effects of age. Poor Collins.

Two Roads Diverged…

He says there are two common approaches to studying poetry: observation and interrogation. The first lets the poem speak for itself, and the other brutalizes the meaning out of it. If left to my own devices, I probably tend toward the latter. I like to dig deep and squeeze meaning out of every part (though not usually with a garden hose). While there’s nothing wrong with mining the depths of poetry, I think Collins is right—that may not be the best introduction to poetry.

The Better Path to Poetry

Instead, Collins wants us to discover truth and feel delight. His various examples invite us to approach a poem with the curiosity of a scientist or naturalist. He wants us to observe it, experience it, and let our senses explore it.

Most importantly, he reminds us to enjoy it! Feel the thrill of skimming across it quickly without sinking deep, deep, deep into syntax and nuance. There’s a place for that too, but not right away. The title of the poem, after all, is “Introduction to Poetry.” Delight should be the starting point of study.

If we’ve learned anything in our year of sampling poems on Past Watchful Dragons, let it be this: the first objective of poetry is to experience and enjoy. So journey forth on poetic explorations of your own, my friends! Just be sure to leave the hose and bring the water skis.