Introduction to Poetry by Billy Collins

Introduction to Poetry

by: Billy Collins, 1996

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.

Source: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/

Analysis: Collins is talking about the difference between what the reader experiences in reading a poem, and how teachers ask students to analyze poetry. This poem was the inspiration for the website, since I wanted to give poetry meaningful analysis, while avoiding the temptation Collins warns us of "beating it with a hose." Collins manages to succeed with this poem using a series of simple metaphors. Collins talks about experiencing a poem like an exploration of the unknown. His simple conversational language is typical for Collins' poetry, and common among many contemporary poets.