1. Read a poem several times. You cannot get all the meaning out of it from one or two readings. If it is a great poem, its meaning will grow as you grow in experience. Its meaning should lie deeper than that of a comic strip or short story, and hence it will require thoughtful pondering.

2. Keep a dictionary handy and use it. Poets use words exactly, but their meaning is not always the most usual or obvious one. The study of poetry should increase your vocabulary.

3. If possibly read the poem aloud, or at least form the words so that you hear them in mind. Poetry is a means of communication. It is really a form of speech, using the idiom of the spoken language of all ages and circumstances. The voice the poet uses helps you understand the meaning of the poem.

4. Occasionally read a poem aloud to someone, especially if the poem is one you like. Try to make your listener like it, too. Read it naturally – neither too fast nor too slow. Remember that punctuation is as meaningful in poetry as it is in any form of writing. Give all grammatical pauses their full due; make sure that all nouns and verbs that go together are read together, even in the first reading. Read the poem sensitively, neither exaggerating the rhythm nor neglecting it. An important test of how well you read will be what you do when there is no punctuation at the end of a line. When you meet such a line, pause slightly but do not drop your voice. Hold on to the last word in the line just a little longer than usual and carry it over to the beginning of the next line.

5. Always pay attention to what is saying as it runs along its rhythmical way. Except for nonsense verse, every good poem has something worth while hidden in it, but your ear has to be tuned to hear it.