It's one thing to read a poem or any other piece of literature and enjoy it for the artwork that it is, but that appreciation for the form goes deeper once you're made to analyze the poem. By taking a closer look at a poem, you're able to identify choices the author made, and this is especially interesting when you're able to see an author's various drafts for a single poem. Analyzing poems to identify devices, forms, and themes demystifies them and makes the medium seem more accessible. That's not to say that reading poems by Pablo Neruda made me think to myself, "If he can do it, it should be easy for me!" Becoming skilled in writing poems takes time, practice, and a certain sensitivity that I don't claim to have myself. But knowing that talented poets work at their pieces over time rather than receive them fully formed in their heads through some divine source makes poetry seem less intimidating. I felt a bit silly when I was writing the first drafts of my poems for our poetry slam night, but I was happy with the revisions I made, many of which I only thought to make after performing the poems out loud to myself. There was a difference in how I wanted my poems to flow when they were only being read as opposed to when they were being performed. With performance in mind, I made certain changes to what words and phrases I included that I probably wouldn't have made if I were writing a narrative piece. Writing about poetry proved to be very cathartic, and now when I go back and read poems, I can try to imagine what kinds of thoughts or memories the poets had to immerse themselves in to write their pieces. With regards to teaching poetry writing, I think it would be very helpful for students to be encouraged to perform their poems for classroom poetry slams to help them build confidence and provide each other with positive and constructive feedback that can help them improve their work. Even for students with no interest in a career in writing, being able to put your thoughts and feelings into words helps with communication and problem-solving, so using poetry as a creative and emotional outlet can be helpful for them outside of the classroom.
