Any poets that make your boat float in ways nobody else can? Anything you think somebody just HAS to read.

Throw them up here. Let us know. Some of us like to read too! And reading great books can only help to further your craft.

Two of my favourite poems include "Ode to a Nightingale" by John Keats and "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll. Both force the reader to examine the poet's choice of diction and words used. In the case of Keats, his work is written in high diction and some of the words he uses aren't understandable in context without a bit of added research (through a dictionary, encyclopedia or a few footnotes... So long as you can understand the meaning and relavance of his ideas, really)... Carroll simply makes up words, which adds to the fanciful nature of his poetry. Both poems hold great stories, but the ways in which they are expressed mean more to the stories of the poems than the poems themselves. If you read and enjoy "Jabberwocky," compare it to a great epic like Beowulf, Gilgamesh, or Homeric writings- the similiarities between such a weird poem full of make believe and some of the greats are really neat to think about.

I just picked up 'the outlaw bible of american poetry' per drugstorecowboy's recommendation. So far, so great!

Although its quite famous and all I'll still have to say that I love "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe, it is such a beautiful and vivid poem, its what started me wanting to write poetry.

I also love to read Sylvia Plath at times, Emily Brontes poetry works and some of Maya Angelous poems relating to slavery and freedom are just so truthful its hard not to feel a little of what she was feeling!

There are hundreds upon hundreds of poems I have read, alot I would reccomend but I don't remember the Authors name, but I did enjoy an enonymous poem that is quite well known in poetry entitled "Do not stand at my grave and weep"......it is a great poem, but has no official author!

Byesy Bye..and thanks for letting me into your community!