This week: Fear Not! You too can review poetry! Edited by: Quilli ☕  
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Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought, and the thought has found words.
~ Robert Frost
Poetry is an echo, asking a shadow to dance.
~ Carl Sandburg
Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood.
~ T. S. Eliot
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Trust me when I tell you that you can read, understand, and even review poetry! Granted, it may take a bit of practice, but it's achievable. This week's newsletter will give you some tips for reviewing poetry.
 Read the poem - out loud.
That's right - read the poem out loud, stopping at the end of each line to take another breath. Reading it to yourself, in your head, won't give you the whole experience. When poets 'do their thing,' they engage in wordplay, rhymes, and rhythms you may miss unless you read the poem aloud. Never assume you can understand rhythm and wordplay just by looking at a poem.
What is the poem about?
Typically, poems are narrative or describe feelings or objects. Naturally, there are exceptions. However, there are ways to approach a poem to discover its meaning.
 Look for nouns and proper nouns indicating various characters.
Pay mind to the punctuation. Poems tend to follow grammatical rules despite a poet's use of enjambments and unique forms. Break down the stanza(s) into sentences by looking for end punctuation to help you understand what's being said.
Look for recurring images or symbols that give you essential clues to what the poet is trying to convey.
Pay attention to the rhythm.
Poems have rhythm. One difference between poetry and regular literature is the use of metre and rhythm in poetry. Rhythm is a way of conveying meaning. When you find a change in the rhythm of a poem, look at the ideas and/or images the poet is presenting.
Don't stress yourself out if you can't pick up on the rhythm of a poem. Just reread it and pay attention to how the poem makes you feel.
Enjabment
Enjambment is an important technique and is often misunderstood. Typically, each line of poetry will finish with a punctuation mark, like a comma, dash, semi-colon, colon, or period. Sometimes, this is not the case, and it runs over to the next line. This is called enjambment. When you run across this, listen to what it does for the poem.
Look for techniques.
Here are a few common techniques that you may easily recognize.
Simile: A simile is a figure of speech that compares two unlike things using the words “like” or “as.” Common similes include the descriptive phrases “cool as a cucumber,” “cold as ice,” and “sly like a fox.” Similes are used to introduce concrete images about abstract concepts into the poem.
Metaphor: A metaphor is a figure of speech that implicitly compares two unrelated things, typically by stating that one thing is another (e.g., “that chef is a magician”). Metaphors can be used to create vivid imagery, exaggerate a characteristic or action, or express a complex idea.
Repetition: Poets generally have limited space, and that means limited words. Therefore, it is a conscious choice for a poet to repeat words/phrases. Repetitions often signify important emotions or ideas.
The poetry form used can be a major clue.
There are countless poetry forms, such as haiku, ballads, sonnets, limericks, etc. These forms often carry specific meanings.
Haiku is often associated with philosophy.
Ballads are typically used for adventure.
Sonnets are usually about love.
Limericks are meant to tickle your funny bone.
I hope this gives you some ideas on what to consider when approaching a poetry review. One of the most important things to remember is how a poem made you feel and then relay that to the poet.
Did the poem make you happy? Did it stir up memories for you? Or maybe it made you laugh. Whatever the case, let the poet know because what a compliment it is for a poet to know their words moved another person in some way.
Happy Reviewing!
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Poetry: March 19, 2025 Issue [#13040]
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