i know now why i used to hate poetry

I have always been a fast reader. That is not a boast, merely a statement of a fact. In first grade at private school I finished my whole reader about a month into the school year. Reading time was terribly boring after that. I go through books much like the way I go through apples. First I carefully peel the skin off, then I chomp my way through the meat without having to worry about the peel getting stuck in my teeth. I read the first few chapters carefully, to get a feel for the author's style, then I zoom through to the end so I know what happens to the characters.

But you can't do that in poetry. You'll miss the point.

Because in poetry, every word counts. There is not a single syllable that is extraneous. (unless, of course, you are an amateur trying too hard) You must read slowly, carefully, tossing the words around in your mouth, moving them to your brain, feeling them in your heart. If you miss one word, you could be missing the most important word in the poem, the punchline, the moral of the fable.

Now that I am older and have less time to read for pleasure, I find myself reading more slowly. Since I won't get through the book in a day anyway, I might as well read every single word. And that is why I have come to appreciate poetry for what it is, not just what it gives me.