A more thoughtful rewrite of this may soon be published on Sol Books website. (I am waiting to hear.)

I wonder if occasionally you notice yourself experiencing a resistance to poetry, like I do... even while I love it. I mean, I think it is a large part of why some people don’t read it at all. It’s not always easily accessible. Like modern art, there are not always edges to hold onto and in a culture that can tend towards black and white, blurred boundaries or gray area can be disconcerting.

Using poetry as a metaphor for life, new territory brings up fears: Will I understand it or am I missing something? Why doesn’t this make sense? If the reader doesn’t learn to step outside their brain and reasoning, they will give up too soon, deeming the work inaccessible or too esoteric, when in fact they just don’t trust themselves to relax into a new place. New landscapes, whether in poetry or life, requires that we sit with it a while. Set aside all preconceived notions, be patient, and let it flow around and through you until you feel a shift. It might be subtle or like the light bulb that flashes on. Eventually you will be able to describe your impression – whether it is a unique or universal take on the poem. Or, occasionally, as only great art and deep religious experience can cause, you may be speechless and transformed without quite knowing how or why. And, you may be inspired to write a poem in a language only you can understand to convey the ineffable.

Finally, sometimes the poet hopes to convey a specific feeling or experience and share in the catharsis of being read and understood, but often the poem is just out of reach and open to interpretation. I celebrate poetry because I wonder how I would grow if I weren’t nudged outside of my own world and perspective.