Hands up who hated poetry in secondary school? As an English Literature student, I absolutely feel your pain, because until my conversion to it last year, I also hated it. Most of the public these days (sadly!) only associate poetry with the heart-sinking feeling of being asked yet again what Shakespeare meant when he put the comma here instead of there, or having to argue that X, Y, and Z really means A, B, and C… even if you’re secretly thinking that it just means X, Y, and Z. Even one of my best friends who is (like me) planning on taking English further admitted that she found half of that stuff to be nonsense (and her word wasn’t nonsense).
Readers who love poetry, not to worry, I am with you – but I first wanted to acknowledge that it is very common (and entirely understandable) for people to not want to touch it with a bargepole. My theory however is that some poets can transcend that, for they can accomplish two things at once: they can be critically provocative for those who want to analyse, but their writing is equally appealing and joyful for those who are wanting to read something short in bed after a horrid day. One of these such poets is Philip Larkin, who prompted my re-evaluation of poetry last year, and another is George Gordon Byron, more commonly known as Lord Byron.
Available in many beautifully published, easy-to-read editions, Lord Byron’s poetry is wonderful and the perfect cheer-up mechanism for anyone who is too busy to read long novels but still misses the joy of literature. His words are hilarious, poignant, sarcastic, and versatile enough to apply to almost any situation in life. “To Woman” feels like the gender-reversed equivalent of a man-hating breakup song; “Childe Harold’s Departure” is relatable reading for anyone who is anxious to leave an uninspiring environment; “She Walks in Beauty” is for those who want to impress on a date – and “Epitaph to a Dog” is what it says on the tin: one for the canine lovers.
If you miss reading but want short, commitment-free reads, get a copy of this and have it by your bed. Read one whenever you fancy without feeling the need to analyse or overthink – just enjoy the words and the stories. You might be converted and find that poetry is the perfect antidote to whatever life is throwing at you.
