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Photo of Billy Collins

Collins, Billy

An American poet who served two terms as the 44th Poet Laureate of the United States.. American poet appointed as Poet Laureate of the United States 2001–2003

Email Poem - Introduction To PoetryEmail Poem

Introduction To Poetry

 I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light 
like a color slide

or press an ear against its hive.

I say drop a mouse into a poem
and watch him probe his way out,

or walk inside the poem's room
and feel the walls for a light switch.

I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author's name on the shore.

But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.

They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.



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