I read poetry nearly every day. How could I not? When Mary Oliver's "The Summer Day" begins with "Who made the world?" and Rita Dove's "Canary" ends with "If you can't be free, be a mystery." When Billy Collins's "Forgetfulness" begins with "The name of the author is the first to go" and Audre Lorde's "A Litany for Survival" ends with "we were never meant to survive."
I read poetry because of the focus it brings to my daily activities, the pleasure it brings to my professional responsibilities, the surprise it brings to my ill-advised assumptions, the inspiration it brings to my human interactions, and the serenity it brings to my loneliest moments. I suggest you get started reading poetry at the Poetry Foundation, which offers a seemingly endless supply of great poems.
