Today is a good to start a daily poetry study.

Throughout my life, I have only been able to keep one New Year resolution. I’ve made the same intention each year since January 1, 2014, and that is to read one poem a day. In alternating years, I have posted the poems daily on my Facebook page. Let me recommend this practice to you if you don’t have a poetry ritual or routine already in place. Reading one poem a day has improved my poetry comprehension as well as my poetry writing. You may have a few poetry books on your bookshelf that you haven’t read completely through, you may have a stack of Sun magazines in a corner, or the Paris Review, The Writer’s Almanac, or poets.org are sending you daily poems in your email. Poetry is available and if you are a little apprehensive about poetry can be more accessible than you may think.

First, select a poem. Personally, I’m starting off 2021 with The Best American Poetry of 2019.

I’ll read the poems in order as listed in the Table of Contents.

Second, read the poem through once. Read it slowly without worrying about making editorial comments. Now, you can stop here. This is a nice way to start or end a day. It can be a wonderful form of meditation.

Third, if you want more from your daily poetry reading, then at some point during the day, read the poem at least two more times. With these additional reads, you can find what works in the poem for you: the language, the literary devices, the tone, the theme. Taking this closer look at the poem will open you to study the poem’s success, and success means that the poem built a bridge to you and invited you to cross.

You may want to print your daily poems and keep them in a binder or save them to a file on your computer. It’s a lovely way to create a volume of poetry that you can easily access if you want to share one of those poems or return to if you need to read it again.

What if you read a poem that doesn’t speak to you? Perfectly fine! Not all bridges are meant to be crossed and even then, you will still learn what type of poetry doesn’t appeal to you.

Some great anthologies to start a daily study with are African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle & Song; When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry; Devotions by Mary Oliver; or any year of The Best of American Poetry series. That’s only naming a few of some of the wonderful poetry books out there.