The Poetry Plan

I like poetry. I buy books of poetry. I go to readings by poets. I’ve met a few well-known poets, some of whom I’m proud to call my friends. I teach poetry to my students, and I talk about poetry with my colleagues. I’ve even tried my hand at writing poetry, with varying levels of success. But guess what I noticed? Even though poetry gives me much pleasure, I wasn’t actually reading much poetry.

I thought about it and realized that the only reason I wasn’t reading any poetry was because I simply never made the time; I never made it convenient. So here’s my plan: I always have a book of poetry on the table beside my chair. The poetry can be from any time period, any author. No limits—just whomever I feel like reading at the time. Every day, say while I’m having that last morning cup of coffee or right when I get home from work and just need to wind down a little, I pick up that book and read at least one poem.

The only problem with my plan so far? I rarely stop with one.