1. “Introduction to Poetry”
Billy Collins

2. Billy Collins
Biography

3. “Introduction to Poetry”
I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide
or press an ear against its hive.
I say drop a mouse into a poem
and watch him probe his way out,
or walk inside the poem's room
and feel the walls for a light switch.

4. “Introduction to Poetry”
I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author's name on the shore.
But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.
They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.

5. Reading Check & Interpretations
What feeling does Billy Collins create in these lines: “I say drop a mouse into a poem / and watch him probe his way out, / or walk inside the poem’s room / and feel the walls for a light switch”?
Tip
Interpreting: When you interpret, you use your own understanding of the world to decide what something means. Think about
How a mouse in a maze might feel
How you would feel in a dark room, searching for the light switch

6. Reading Check & Interpretations
What does the simile in lines 1-3 suggest about the way we should approach a poem?
Based on the image in lines 9-11, how does the poet want you to feel when you read a poem?
What is the message or theme of this poem?
What qualities of this poem make it enjoyable to read?