How to read a poem.

Ah the joys of sitting down and reading a confusing poem. Most people are excited, but I groan at this thought. Poetry to me, is a confusing jumble of words meant to make me angry when I try to guess it's meaning. How to read a poem made me feel like less of a failure. It pointed out how poems are indeed confusing and theres not always one set way to interpret it. Reading a poem has a lot to do with attitude and technique. It's important to get the background on the author or where the poem is located in order for us to understand it. It's also important to know that you probably won't get the poem the first time you read it. Nothing is wrong with you, you just haven't cracked the code yet. Missing the point to a poem is very common and irritating. But, also understand that the poem cam mean anything readers want it to mean. If you are having a good day and the poem seems happy then it's happy. Poems are meant for us to interpret them and figure out what they mean to us. Reading poetry is a challenge, but it takes practice and as you read more poetry you'll start to grasp their meanings. Encountering a difficult poem is like a game or sport, it makes you work a bit. You can't expect to speed through a poem and grasp it's meaning. It's also a good idea to ask questions when approaching a poem for the first time. For example:
Who is the speaker?
What is the tone?
What situation is present?
If the poem is a question, what is the answer?
If the poem is an answer, what is the question?
These questions can help us to better understand the meaning to poems. The task is to grasp, to connect and to understand what the authur is trying to portray. Predictable and easy to digest poetry is very rare to come by. So, be prepared for the ultimate torment of trying to comprehend most poems.