Growing up, I hated poetry. I dreaded “poetry projects” and picked out poems quickly, with no regard for content.
One year I chose only poems about the sky—mainly stars, because it was the first thing I could think of. I remember enjoying two.
As a Senior in High School poems were given to us to analyze. Each poem was read with dread. I cared little about the message. It seemed the longest two months of my life.
Then one day, years later, at Busboys and Poets (of all places), I picked up a book of poems. I opened a random page and read the most beautiful poem in the world. I read another and another. Finally I understood the beauty. I wrote down the name of the book, with the intention of buying it later. I’ve since lost or misplaced the name.
Now, as my life transitions, I find myself drawn to poetry again. This time for keeps. I don’t know where to start besides google searches of “top ten poems ever” and “must read poets.”
I am not sure how to find what I am looking for. A book filled with pages of the most passionate, sensual and heartbreaking poems. A book filled with poems I can read over and over again and still feel that same pull at my heart.
One day I’ll find it. Recommendations welcome.
