What's your favorite poem? If you hate poetry, do tell why - I write on poetry, and am curious to know what I can do to reach out to more?

The poem that gave me goosebumps when I read it, the poem I love to teach myself is Porphyria's Lover by Robert Browning. According to Wikipedia it was published in 1836 as Porphyria and was given its final name in 1863. What really makes me love this poem is the matter-of-fact manner in which the psychopath relates the details of his encounter with his lover, the final challenge to God and then nothing.

We read of no punishment for his deed, no hint if this behaviour will continue.....and considering the time the poem was written, its amazing how similar the behaviour is today..... goosebumps for sure, even just thinking about it must quote one small bit..... "Perfectly pure and good: I found A thing to do, and all her hair In one long yellow string I wound Three times her little throat around, And strangled her. No pain felt she; I am quite sure she felt no pain. " I really like Robert Browning poems - My Last Duchess is another like this one, amazingly evil in such sweet language..... The reason I hear most of my students complain about poetry is because they don't always understand the imagery, so they don't get the point.

When I explain the imagery they often feel closer to the poem and understand it better. I also teach poetry by using songs. They are just poems put to music after all :) they can often relate to the song and then understand technique or theme from that.....

The Perfectionist by Ogden Nash (He and Poe are my 2 favorite poets)(I may have one or two words wrong, but you'll still get the humor) I give you now Professor Twist A conscientious scientist Trustees exclaim he never bungles And sent him off to distant jungles Camped on a riverside One day he missed his loving bride A guide had informed him later She had been eaten by an alligator Professor Twist could not but smile You mean, he said, a crocodile.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.