How can poetry speak to you and why? To some people, poetry is an enigma. A complete mystery that can oftentimes be confusing to read and interpret. That’s why it is much easier to write poems than try to read someone else’s. When the author of the poem is feeling a certain emotion along with feeling inspired, the poem is stronger and oftentimes has a deeper meaning. However, how can a person despise poetry one day and appreciate it the next? I will answer that very question in this column.

Poetry is anything but words on a page casually strewn about … actually, sometimes it can be. However, if you were to look at poems by Sara Teasdale, Edgar Allen Poe, or Caroline Elizabeth Sarah Norton, you would see vital emotions. These three poets share a commonality: They speak their meanings clearly and in a way that I am able to understand. Poems such as “I Do Not Love Thee,” “The Look,” and “Song” are all examples of true emotion. It’s almost as if you can see where they are coming from and why they feel this way. Edgar Allen Poe is considered to write in more of a dark fashion. However, I disagree. Certainly, there are more sinister portions to his work but that is what makes it real.

Imagine being in class and being forced to write your own poem or read someone else’s. That used to be me in class. I couldn’t appreciate what poetry could mean. When I was in class and we read “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, I found it to be quite difficult to understand what the poet was speaking of. Next to me, my classmates seemed to interpret Frost’s meaning clearly. From that point on, I disliked poetry for many foolish and prideful reasons. However, something changed a few months ago. For an assignment, I was asked to write my own sonnet. Sadly, I did not get the grade I wished for, but I earned something better- A new understanding of poetry and why I used to like it. From that point further, I started to envelope myself more with the graces of poetry. I may not have gotten the grade, but I got the love I once held for poetry back.

But why can poetry be difficult to interpret? Poets such as William Shakespeare and Sir Philip Sidney wrote poems in Old English. These words are not commonly used today, therefore, we are often at a loss. Words such as “art” or “hath” are easier to understand in poetry. However, in my case, the word “thee” or “thou” can be more difficult to put together within the poem. In my case, it takes me two to three tries to fit “thou” correctly into the line. Due to this, reading and understanding poetry may become frustrating. Thank goodness we have dictionaries.

I never imagined that I would start writing my own poetry but I soon started to do just that. At first, I wrote songs but those didn’t go too well.

After that, I started to dabble with writing poems: Some refectling anger, some sadness, and some joy. Below, is one of my poems. In my mind, it is of self-image but there may always be different meanings within poetry that were designed to be hidden. This poem is called

“The Lily.”

A single lily in a community of roses.

What problem could that ever pose?

The lily wishes for a single friend.

But the lily stands alone till her hopeless end.

Throughout the years, the lily grew strong.

But that was not enough for her to move on.

Her petals grew prettily with color and life.

No one would have guessed she held such bitter strife.

The lily grew restless with worry and sorrow.

She hoped for a brighter sun on her next tomorrow.

But the new day came and was as before.

The lily felt a clean break through her very core.

If only the lily had a better day.

Then maybe that lily would not have faded away.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This column was written by 15-year-old Shaylynn Goodreau-Kangas. Shaylynn is a junior. She loves mashed potatoes, choolate, reading, and biking.