things i wish i knew before writing poetry pt II: reading for your writing

read.
no, seriously. read.

We’ve all heard it before. And I’d heard it before I even touched poetry, but I didn’t realize the magnitude of its importance.

And I want to talk about why. There are so many things to gain from it: community, perspective, empathy, inspiration.

community

To be completely honest, when I hear a poet say they don’t read poetry, something in me dies.

But let me be clear: when I say “read” I mean a variety of things. I mean going to readings. Buying books and studying them. Listening to podcasts or watching videos of poetry. All of this is reading poetry to me. To engage with the craft in some way.

And perhaps it is just my own experience, but I wouldn’t be half the poet I am today (or a poet at all!) had I not sought out my local community.

I could go on and on about all the life-changing experiences I’ve had engaging with my community but I’ll keep in simple and compare it to a religious experience.

And, to me, this is because poetry is about more than words on a page—it is about shared experiences, perspectives, and emotions.

We write poetry to send a feeling to someone else; we read poetry to look through the keyhole into someone else’s life. Without this aspect, what would be the point?

Again, I’m not saying you have to share your work either. I’m just saying spend time with it and the people who do—you will grow in ways you’ve never noticed before.

Think of it like passing around a plate hors d'oeuvres of each melancholic moment you had this week.

I dunno, it’s nice.

And more often than not it will also bring you to a state of…

self-reflection

I believe you can find your voice by exploring others’. This means reading and really spending time with the poets and poetry that speaks to you most.

By finding the poetry I absolutely loved, I was able to figure out what I liked most about those poems. Then I was able to play with those devices in my own ways and see what worked and what didn’t.

For example, if I really like the tone of a poem, I try to figure out why.

Is it haunting? If so, is it because the diction is dark or is it because of the anxiety of the speaker’s voice? Or is it bittersweet and familiar? What surprising elements is the writer using in the metaphor? How tangible or abstract are they? What do I find relatable?

And so on.

Asking yourself what you like about the poem is making yourself to figure out how you want to write. So sit down and spend time with your favorites and don’t be afraid to write down “NOUN VERB ADJECTIVE NOUN. ARTICLE NOUN NOUN PREPOSITION” like a literal word equation. Just dig in!

Of course, you will find not everything you like works and that’s okay too! I can’t imagine every chef loves every dish they cook (and sometimes not every metaphor is perfect!) but learning what doesn’t work gets you closer to what does.

new perspectives

This works in two ways:

From an empathy standpoint, this will teach you things and make you feel things you’ve spent your whole life not knowing—learning about someone’s childhood, a culture’s expression with food, or the fact that you are not alone in something you always thought you were—it’s all inside poetry.

The other way is just “Wow, I wish I thought of writing a poem from the perspective of a talking spoon.” Which is important, too.

inspiration

Sometimes you’re just literarily constipated and reading is the laxative, what can I say?

rest

Literally just sometimes stop and read a book. Read something completely new or out of your comfort zone or super lighthearted and fun. Just read something. Just because.

so, read.

I know it gets tiring hearing it again and again but I know for ME at least, sometimes I needed to be beaten over the head with something until I was smug enough to assume it was my own idea.

But once you start doing things like reading with more and more intention, you will see the change in your own writing and self. □