McSweeney’s - Poetry FAQs →
What is poetry?
Poetry is clumps of words that make people feel something.
Why do people go to poetry readings?
Some go to get signed copies of books that may one day be worth something on eBay. Some go because it makes them look arty and deep. But most use poetry readings as a gentle, non-addictive sleep aid.
How do you know what a poem means? You decide what the poem means to you. But you are probably wrong. You are probably missing like seventeen literary allusions, twelve mythological references, and some parable stolen from the Bible. And as if that isn’t enough, poets go out of their way to use fancy, archaic words like “dovecote.” Do you know what a dovecote is? I didn’t think so.
Recent comments