Aim
There isn't much aim to this page except to point you to books that I recommend and books that are semi-required reading if you want to understand what I'm talking about half the time (as if that's going to happen).  
Philosophy 
First of all when I use the word philosophy, I don't tend to mean real philosophy, but more schools of thought. I've got a good text book on real philosophy, but it's a challenge I can't seem to meet at the moment (I stall about two chapters into it). I got hold of a copy of Nigel Warburton's 'Philosophy The Classics' the other week whilst in Devon and it is good enough so that even I can understand it. I subsequently had another go at my text book with more success, but I'm not going to lug a book that big around for a year and so it will have to wait. Robert Pirsig's Lila and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance are about the closest I've ever really got apart from that (both recommended). 

I don't really subscribe to any school of thought/philosophy, there seems to be a tendency for people to pick-and-mix their own little niche from various religions and Eastern philosophies, and any thoughts I have on the subject are a bit too vague to nail down. Taoism is the most useful Eastern philosophy I've come across (at least it's realistic and fairly practical) and most of the translated texts are pretty accessible as is the Tao Of Pooh (and the less useful sequel Te Of Piglet). I always seem to be reading a book by Henry David Thoreau and Walden is probably the book out of all the books I've ever read that I'd urge everyone to read. 
 

Poets
I was badly introduced to poetry at school and as a kid I doubt you can really understand much poetry anyway. So playing catch up I've run through Blake (not really my thing, but I've yet to give it enough time), Dante (great in places, over my head in others), Kerouac, Ginsberg and my current favourite Galway Kinnell.