Today's blog is an essay by one of our Poetry Center docents. Our docent program provides groups, institutions, and individuals with a positive and engaging introduction to the Poetry Center as a living archive. Docents encourage a love of language and advance a positive perception of poetry.

OK, maybe you don’t actually loathe poetry. You may feel, however, that it’s not your thing or that it has no relevance to your life. You may think that poetry is all about romance, pain, grief, nature, and the mysteries of life and death, and you hate all that serious stuff. You may think poetry employs antiquated language that nobody uses anymore—like “thee,” for example. Or you can’t remember the difference between a simile and a metaphor, and frankly don't give a damn.

By the way, does the title remind you of anything? I’ve borrowed words from a famous poem. Don’t worry. There are no pop quizzes here. No one is going to ask you to analyze and discuss what it really means. You won’t have to memorize and recite it at an assembly.

The poem’s title is actually How Do I Love Thee? (Sonnet 43) by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Now even if you’re someone who doesn’t like poetry, you have to admit that it’s a simple, direct question to ask someone. Do you know how much I love you? Can’t get more human than that. The poet then goes on to count the ways. Here are a few lines: “I love thee to the depth and breadth and height/My soul can reach.” “I love thee freely.” “I love thee with the breath/Smiles, tears, of all my life.” Whew! Most of us just send greeting cards or candy.

Don’t like love poems? How about death, then? “Do not go gentle into that good night/Old age should burn and rave at close of day/Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” That’s the first stanza of a Dylan Thomas poem. Kind of like what rocker Neal Young sang in Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black): “It’s better to burn out than to fade away.” Tragically, it was also part of Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain's suicide note. Do you get the feeling they might have read Dylan Thomas?

If these are too serious for you, how about funny? Here’s a line from William Shakespeare: “And in some perfumes is there more delight/Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.” It’s from My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun (Sonnet 130). Doesn’t sound like a promising way to woo your lover, but then I’m no Shakespeare.

I hope you see that poetry doesn’t have to be stuffy, obscure, or intimidating. Most great poems are written in simple, accessible language, arranged in such a way that it grabs your emotions in ways you didn’t think possible. That is the beauty of poetry—like someone speaking to you personally with words that matter.  

I hope you are inspired to look up these poems and read them for yourself. You could find them on the Internet. Better yet, come discover them on the shelves at The University of Arizona Poetry Center. There, in the softly lit, intimate spaces of this poetry living room you will find every conceivable kind of poem to suit your fancy. Feel free to wander through the stacks and browse to your heart’s content. No one will tell you what or how to read. That’s between you and the poet on the page. It’s what Ruth Stephan envisioned when she first founded, in 1960, what has become the nation’s largest collection of contemporary poetry free and open to the public—where a person can “discover poetry for herself or himself by browsing alone, selecting alone, and reading alone in a quiet atmosphere.” She wanted there to be no intermediaries between you and the poet, no snotty critics or teachers to tell you what’s good or not. I invite you to come visit this magical place, and learn to love poetry again. And if you wish for a guided tour, I will be glad to show you around. 

Hailing from New England, Gene Twaronite now considers himself a desert rat firmly planted in Tucson. He is the author of six books, including two juvenile fantasy novels, two short story collections, and a book of humorous essays. His first collection of poetry Trash Picker on Mars was recently published by Aldrich Press (imprint of Kelsay Books). Follow more of his writing at his blog (www.thetwaronitezone.com).