Reading Poetry as a Non-Poet
by S.D Munawara
I have not written a poem since the tenth grade. From memory it was a horrible, clunky piece on World War Two for an English Assessment. Initially I obsessed over the meter, but soon after surrendered any semblance of intent or exertion. Poetry is supposed to be effortless and is inherently lawless, I thought, and that combination meant it was not for me.
I revisited poetry, this time as a reader, after graduating high school. The first time I read a full collection of poems in earnest, my perception of poetry as lax and undemanding was stripped from me entirely. It was Warsan Shire’s ‘Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head.’ Suddenly all I could see was the effort. Intention shone in every line, in every word, in every syllable. I am always desperate to glean the thought process of the poet. I always have questions afterwards.
This curiosity was new to me. My experience with fiction is that of the author fading slightly into the background, overridden by the story’s characters and its narrators. I can easily forget that a novel has in fact been written, but this is never the case with poetry. The craftmanship of a poem is always at the forefront of my mind. I examine the shape of it, where the poem carries its weight, how it sits on the paper. I appraise the font, the title, the absence or presence of capital letters. I am hyperaware that everything was a decision.
This in turn makes me hyperaware of my position as a reader. Poetry harkens me back to when I first learnt to sound out words, stress letters, obey full stops. The reading does not happen solely in my mind. Poetry tugs on my consciousness and forces it to notice my mouth, my lungs, my heartbeat. A poem can ground me in my body, become something biological.
I am still learning how to read poetry. Sometimes I walk into a poem cautious, like I’ve been called on to join the stage of a magic show. With a title like ‘My Father, The Astronaut,’ I don’t know what to expect, and so the only think I expect is to be surprised. I keep an eye out for sleight of hand, for misdirection, but the poem is usually cleverer than I.
Other times, I treat a poem like an exhibition. I wander through ‘Bless our CCTV Star’ like every word is framed, squint for contextual information in the title, or the glossary, or the author’s biography. I linger.
I try to take cues from the work itself. Does the poem demand speed? Halfway through
Shire’s ‘The Baby-Sitter’s Club’ I let my eyes jump ahead and carry as many words as they
can manage.
my white body, in my white underwear,
sprawled on white sheets, the white light
of the sun shining through white linen
drapes, beyond which white clouds
are punctured by a white god
Does the poem ask for scrutiny? Will I need a trail of breadcrumbs to find my way back to meaning? I read ‘The Abubakr Girls are Different’ once again, with new eyes, when I reach the last stanza.
We lie in bed beside each other, holding mirrors
to the mouths of our skirts
comparing wounds
Sometimes I can feel, with giddy anticipation, that a poem is rising up to grab me by the shoulders mid-sentence and twist, confronting me with an entirely different view. I hold my breath through the glittery wedding imagery of Shire’s ‘Buraanbur’ until the very last line, where she writes:
Adorned in gold, my mother the child bride sits to the side, unsmiling, unbreathing.
My premature assessment of poetry as a teenager, that it was not for me, could not be more wrong. Poetry is for everyone, and it is especially well-suited for writers seeking to expand and better their craft.
Here are three ways Poetry can benefit every genre of writer:
1) Reading poetry will enlighten you to how much meaning and tone can be conveyed in a single word. I find myself now approaching a short story draft not only with plot-points, characters, and ideas, but also armed with specific language. Poets will show you how easily and how often a word, rather than a sentence, can do the work for you.
2) Poetry will reignite an appreciation for variety. A collection of poetry will always feature poems of wildly different styles. Writers of other forms could benefit greatly from similar diversity, and reading poetry will inspire you to write scenes that differ in shape, pace, and language, not just subject.
3) Finally, poetry is a spectacular reminder that writing is only half of the work. Poets put remarkable amounts of trust in their audience to construct, to interpret, and to apply themselves genuinely to the process of reading. When you read poetry as a non-poet you recognise how exhilarating and rewarding it is to fill the gaps the poet has left for you. Having this skill means you too can apply a similar spirit of collaboration to works of fiction or non-fiction, and learn to view readers not just as an audience but as active agents.
As I read more poems, I will be further introduced to new ways of reading. New ways of reading lend themselves to new ways of writing, and new ways of writing enriches my fiction-writing.
So although I don’t write poetry, poetry is always with me when I am writing.
Written by S.D Munawara
S.D is student of literature and an emerging writer, living, working, and writing in Melbourne, Australia. In 2022 she was the winner of the Hachette Australia Prize for Young Writers for her non-fiction piece 'Mental Funerals'. She has since published both fiction and non-fiction, and recently featured in the 2024 Nillumbik Prize Anthology.