how to read poetry

So how do you read poetry?

I have no clue.

Reading a poem involves slow and careful analysis line by line, word by word. A highly experienced reader will dissect the poem's metrics, noting the lines or words that depart from established syllabic pattern--

Stop.

Better question:  How can you ENJOY reading a poem?

Maybe we shouldn't read a poem like we do a purely informational text. Remember, it is art, like visual art or like music. A poem does not necessarily have a message.

When you listen to Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 each evening whilst sipping some fine red wine (pinky up), do you ask yourself, "What does Beethoven mean by that minor 3rd? What is he saying with those eighth notes?" Nein.

Jackson Pollock's #2. (Courtesy of robertweingarten.com)

When you look at a painting by Jackson Pollock, do you say, "Mhm, those two red patches illustrate Pollock's critique of a changing American society through his juxtaposition of... yadda... perspective... yadda... contrast... expressionism... yadda yadda."
Maybe. But probably no. You say, "Wow, what the heck is that? It looks cool/interesting/messy/crusty/watery/whatever/etc./etc."

And that's just fine.

Why should poetry be different? Read a poem. Look at a poem. Listen to the sounds of the poem. Soak in the music of repeated sounds (alliteration, assonance, rhyming words) and the natural beats (cue foot-tapping, finger-snapping, ... head-banging?). Check out the way the poem looks on the page. Cool? Crusty?

Of course, absorb the words themselves as well. But remember, who cares about what the poet meant when he/she was writing it. You'll probably never know. (Heck, the poet may not even know). Think instead:  What does the poem mean to me?

You are not simply a "reader." You're a person (fully equipped with your own emotions and personal experiences).

Immerse yourself in the art. Place you yourself INSIDE the art.

And enjoy.