How to appreciate Poems?

[Pknjo]

Okay, there are bad and good and excellent poems, but you'd have to get into the poet's mind to really appreciate the poem and then judge it; but it's mostly subjective.

[Gabyap]

I think you just have to 'listen' with all of your senses

[radioactivelyradiant]

I see where you're coming from. I personally greatly prefer poems with set meters and rhyme scheme. If a poem is simply words and concepts thrown together, I wouldn't consider it poetry.

[tmazonga]

There are a lot of good books and published articles on this, some of which are available online.

[Annamikov]

It honestly depends on the person. Some may like it, some may not. However, I believe that a good poem has a rhyme, uses literary devices, tells a story, and most importantly - connects to the reader.

[tmazonga]

You`re right, Annamikov, because you can`t be all things to all people.

[Ayo martins]

A poem is thoughts expressed figuratively to convey a meaning. It's a train of thoughts of the writer, delivered to the audience making use of figures of speech. So appreciation does not take place if a reader is not familiar with the poetic devices to grasp the deep meanings and themes of a poem. The true beauty of a piece is lost when these devices are not put to use and hence it's not fit to be called a poem.