"Introduction to Poetry" is a free verse poem, written in stanza form with no regular rhyming scheme. In it, the author Billy Collins uses colorful imagery and tricky metaphors that invite his readers to read poetry for enjoyment instead of analysis, which seeks to figure out a deeper meaning. Collins wants the readers to really listen to the sounds in the poem, to look at it, and to truly experience it for what it is. And that's a piece of art. The amount of diverse metaphors used by the author help provide vivid details from sounds to light expressed in the text.  In the end, Collins enlightens his readers with an important message: that is, we have to get inside the poem to experience it, rather than just coolly analyzing the poem.

While reading through the poem, the reader can infer a sense that Collins wants them to really take in and understand the meaning behind the text is.  When the author states, "I want them to waterski across the surface of the poem, and waving at the authors name"(9), the line conveys a brilliant image of the reader expressing a feeling that no one usually experiences when reading some texts. The reader can almost feel the cool breeze and the rushing waters, as they recite the poem. Collins also displays his text with many realistic metaphors.  Varying in meanings, he starts off clear and precise, with great visuals expressing poetry. Once the reader reaches the concluding part of the poem, it drastically changes in tone, altering the whole implication behind the poem.  It appears that the poem has one obvious message, but with so many vivid metaphors it's hard to come to one concrete conclusion. This puts the reader in a tough place; trying to figure out the main significance that Collins wants to disclose. Ambiguity and ambivalence also play a part in Collins work, signifying that poems often tend to contest single meanings. The author switches from a peaceful tone ("or walk inside the poem's room, and feel the walls for a light switch"(7)), to a one of darkness ("But all they want to do is tie the poem to a chair with rope and torture a confession out of it"(12)).  It adds a mocking, yet humorous tone to the whole poem, jeering at the incorrect attitudes towards poetry.

After reading the poem over several times, I came to a conclusion that Collin's poem is more or less like a guideline to poetry. Although some may feel that poems loose their meaning when one pries deeper, a proper relationship with poetry requires depth. Many readers just want to find the main meaning straight out of the text, and give no attention to the true detail behind the work. Collins wants the reader to enjoy the ambience of the writing and look past the whole idea of getting one thing out of the text. Another vivid form of imagery occurs when Collins states that he wants them to take a poem and "hold it up to the light like a color slide."(2). This physically makes the reader do this motion in the mind. The implied message of this line is that without shining a little light on a poem, its real meaning doesn't shine through. With poetry, it's the same way. At first, poems can be mystifying, vague, and cryptic, but after additional review, they become more sensible. Poems are not written solely for the readers to rip it to shreds trying to find some sort of interpretation regarding the text. Poetry is a scenic form of writing, that lets the author state anything they really want. They can portray a sunny weekend on the west coast; while at the same time include a hidden meaning far more important than the sandy beach and waves.

Upon initial reading, the meaning of this poem is unexplainable. What does Collins mean by his poem?  There are many small messages in the poem, many of which Collins tells the reader what the poem means to the mind. In others he tells the reader how to treat the poem and how to find its message. He expresses that poems should not have their meaning forcefully tugged from them, but freely and calmly find it, and still be attached to the surface. The way Billy Collins goes about creating this piece of poetry is astonishing and is very unique. The use of figurative language really helps paint a picture describing the countless ways someone could enjoy poetry.  The only thing that is odd about Collins work is that he conveys and contrasts through out the poem into two parts. The start of the piece states how Billy Collins ("I") wants the reader to approach poems they read. Collins also starts to relate how the readers ("They") only want to get to the bottom of the poem, giving no time to the essence that is behind the text.

Collins presents a peculiar speaker who changes tone throughout this poem reflecting his frustrations in how readers analyze poetry. As the poem progresses the reader senses a change in the author's tone, these changes can be detected through the speaker's dialogue. It is as if the poet was a scientist conducting a science experiment putting a little cheese at the end for the reader to discover the meaning. Collins is challenging the reader to find the meandering way through the poem. Presenting its sequence of images and metaphors, tempting the reader to experience the poem, rather than a mere breakdown. The essence of poetry is embedded inside, waiting for an avid reader to experience it for all its worth.
