Go to a bookstore, find a big fat book of poetry that interests you, buy it and just dive in. I love the advice in this video by Blur’s Alex James and followed it, with good results.
(I foolishly thought my Auden book would last me the weekend, but of course poetry is condensed and concentrated flavours, you can’t take too much at one sitting). However, Larkin might be your poet of choice – or someone even more recent. Or an anthology where a whole variety of writers are gathered into one place. The important thing is that it genuinely intrigues or speaks to you, not that it’s a famous writer that you feel you ‘should’ read.
Don’t worry if you disliked poetry at school – this time you are in charge of where you explore and no one will ask you to write an essay on it. This is reading for enjoyment and experience.
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