I've always loved to read, since the minute I learned how. Poetry, on the other hand, is a different animal altogether. I had a hard time with it until my senior year in high school. I never liked reading it, and writing it was out of the question.. Actually, if you've ever read any of my poetry, you probably still think my writing it is out of the question.
When I got to college, I briefly considered changing my major to literature. I spent my entire second semester studying Sylvia Plath. For no reason at all. She just fascinated me. I got the Collected Poems, which contains some interesting glimpses into a woman's psyche. However, so much of it is intensely personal that you really need to read some background on her in order to get an insight. (There's a reason she's called a confessional poet, folks!) If you want an example, check out one of the last poems she ever wrote, Edge. Or maybe you'd like to read one of my absolute favorites, Mad Girl's Love Song. However, there's a lot more out there on the web--click here for several wonderful links to the Plath oeuvre.
A poet I'm currently in the middle of reading again is Anne Sexton. I enjoy her work even more, on some levels, beacause I can relate to it a little better. Two of my favorites are Her Kind and Us.
Want to read some more? Check out:
Any particular favorites you might want to see included? E-mail me and let me know!