Question

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.



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.

—“Introduction to Poetry,”
Billy Collins

The poem's central idea is that the

Think about the central idea and the figurative language. What conclusion can you draw about the poet's message?

Answer 1

I think the poet is trying to convey that there are so many aspects of a poem and that all of them should be taken into account because they can change the whole mood. Even the title will tell you ("Introduction to Poetry") this is like a beginner's poem so that they can get a grasp on what poetry can mean and how much you can do in one $^s^m^a^l^l$ poem.

Hope this helps!