Originally posted by Black Wolf
You have to get the right poet, and the right poem. I like a lot of William Blakes stuff, and Sylvia Plaths (weird, but good once you know what she's talking about). I don't have too much experience though - anyone have any suggestions as to good poets to read?
I don't know Plaths, but if you like Blake you'd do well to try Milton. T. S. Eliot is
always worthwhile. You might like Yeats from the 20th c. or Shelley from the 19th. If you enjoy language in and of itself, try Gerard Manley Hopkins (he dances the sounds masterfully and carefully, and is one of the few poets I know who can be florid and actually make it work, and work well).
Those are all "big names" that anyone could pull out of a poetry anthology: there's a reason they get into the anthologies, but they are by no means the fulness of good poetry. You'll find it all sorts of places, usually by people you've never heard of before.
My most practical advice would be to check a poetry anthology or two out of the library to start with, and then move on to trying out other books. See what sort of eras and styles you like, and then pursue them further.
