I'm Major Jackson, and this is the slowdown.

Poetry can be daunting to read.

I understand.

Over the years, I have heard many people state that it's just not their thing.

That they prefer to attend a ball game, watch a favorite TV series, or hear live music.

Poetry's inscrutability can be off-putting,

maybe even pretentious. I too dislike it, said a famous poet. For those who are new to poetry or wish to overcome their reticence, here are a few tips.

One, treat poetry like a roller coaster. You may not know the laws of physics, but it does not

prevent you from enjoying the ride. Poetry values ambiguity, and it is okay not to know all of its layers.

There are poems that I cherish and could not tell you with great assuredness their meanings.

I only know the feeling I experience, saying the words out loud, the exuberance of hearing a phrase that I had never heard before.

Another famous poet said, a poem should not mean but be. That is, poetry is written to be

experienced as language rather than examined like bacteria.

Where uncertainty exists, accepted as such,

and relish what sounds, imagery, and insights that are gleaned for you.

The poem will be around a long time.

You can return to it.

Not giving into the frustration of not knowing is a Buddhist value and lifelong skill. Two, poetry encourages voyages, often within us. Sometimes where we go in hearts and minds is illuminating. Poems meander.

Slow us down. Take their sweet time. They unfold sentences that are lush and giving.

Poems cultivate attention. It's fun to track a poem, alone or with friends,

unpacking its references and discussing where we are taken inside ourselves. A childhood friend,

Dina, wrote me to say that she and some girlfriend shared a poem featured on the slowdown between them.

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