Poems have been a very artistic part of literature for centuries. It is the embodiment of emotions through words and rhythm. Most of the time it is very personal to the author and it has meaning. And a lot of the time as well it leaves the reader interpreting it. Now whether or not that interpretation is “correct” is regardless I believe. I think the interpretation is one of the beautiful aspects of poetry.
Sometimes in poetry there are meanings and lessons to be learned. They can be somewhat obvious and in that case it is safe to assume the actual meaning. For example Shel Silverstein’s “Masks”.
“She had blue skin,
And so did he.
He kept it hid
And so did she.
They searched for blue
Their whole life through,
Then passed right by-
And never knew.”
This poem is quite clearly about the importance of being yourself and not pretending to be someone else in order to fit in because it’s quite possible they are others doing the same thing. Now that can be deduced using same basic critical thinking. I think it is a great poem and profound but it is still a children’s poem meant for children.
In other cases the meaning of a poem can be interpreted a million different ways. That is part of the fun and magic of poetry. When you think of something that is going to be scary, your imagination comes up with something far scarier than reality could ever be. When someone says they have a surprise, your imagination comes up with surprises much greater than what it really is! It is better to understand using your own frame of thought rather than have the author or someone else tell you what it means.
“The boat rusts a little more every day,
The familiar seagulls have all flown away.
Silence echoes throughout the air
But still my world could never tear,
So as long as my boat is still there.”
This classic poem is a great example of this. I wrote it 5 minutes ago. Now I am not a poet so I guess I will ruin the fun for you. This poem isn’t about anything at all. I guess if I had a mini story in my mind it would be about lonely old man who misses his sailing days? But that doesn’t matter, the point is that poetry can be interpreted and understood in many different lights. This is what makes poetry an art form. People can connect to it who aren’t the author. So I believe that author’s shouldn’t clarify the meanings of their poems and that readers should deduce their own meanings. It should be concrete.
