Close reading is a detailed, careful analysis of a poem's language, sound, imagery, structure, and word choice. Instead of summarizing the poem's general meaning, a close reading focuses on how specific details work together and why particular words, line breaks, rhythms, or figures of speech matter.
It is a basic method of poetic interpretation and is often used to uncover patterns or tensions that may not be obvious at first glance.
Example
A close reading of the poem noticed that the line break after "I waited" makes the pause feel uneasy:
I waited
for the door to open,
while the rain kept saying no.