Looking at Poetry in a new light

I just finished reading Bronx Masquerade and even though I was skeptical at first, I ended up loving it. I haven’t ever seemed to get into the whole poetry thing, but after reading this book it totally put a new spin to what poetry can do in a classroom. When first reading it, I was getting confused with all of the different characters and what each of them represented through their poems but after getting use to the rhythm of it all, it really grew on me. I realized it wasn’t about putting a face with a theme, but by understanding the different themes that existed through each of the characters. With each of the poems, there was also a unique style portrayed in each of their writing. I also really enjoyed the use of Tyrone in the book. The way he narrated and worked through the different pieces made the poems even more significant to piecing the story together. After reading through a poem and the way I felt about it, I was always excited to see what Tyrone felt about it and how different or similar our views/takes were on the same piece. Through this, that is what I found most enjoyable about reading the poems, what different ideas/themes you are able to get out of a poem and comparing those ideas with others to see how different it is to theirs.
I was able to relate to the characters, because just like them, they weren’t at first sure of how well they liked poetry until they got into it. I feel like I have never been a fan of poetry because most of my poetry classes were about “finding the meaning” which meant, finding what my teacher wanted me to find. I have found that poetry has different stories within itself; it is about finding your own type of meanings because everyone’s life experiences are different therefore each poem is going to be read in a different light. Overall I really liked this book because it got me into a genre that I have never really enjoyed reading before. Just like books, there are all different types of poems that are out there, through this I have found the kind of poems that I enjoy reading and that I am able to relate to the most.