Despite the content of my previous post, I actually do not like poetry.

Poetry annoys me. Use full sentences, damnit! Paragraphs and punctuation are here to serve us, not constrain us. I often read poetry with my eyes narrowed in skepticism; smushing random words together with no structure does not make you insightful.

But…

Every once in a while I read a poem and my narrowed eyes widen and my cheeks soften and I wonder how this person could know all these unknowable things. In the hands of a really good poet, the chaos of thoughts and emotions and life becomes order and meaning.

Here is a short list of poems that have burrowed into my soul.

A Brief for the Defense by Jack Gilbert
The last three lines in this one are my daily mantra. If I am deliberate and quiet enough, I can hear the oars every day.

Robyn Hood by Kate Baer
I read this poem once and felt as if I had opened my eyes for the very first time. I am clawing back my time and my bandwidth.

I’M GOING BACK TO MINNESOTA WHERE SADNESS MAKES SENSE by Danez Smith
This poem just brings me so much joy, although I can’t quite figure out why. The penultimate sentence is perfection.

Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden
We read this in high school and I didn’t really care for it. It’s cliche as hell but now I’m a parent and I see so many layers of meaning here.

These poems–and a few others–I rotate on display on my refrigerator door. If you’ve been to my house you’ve probably noticed them and wondered after my mental health.

I also like to display some of my favorite Poorly Drawn Lines, which probably doesn’t count as poetry except in my heart.

(Shout out to my friend Katie who introduced me to at least two of the poems above. Stop being right about poetry all the time, ugh.)