A good poem grows with your life experiences. If you just browse it
cursorily, you may not get any taste until you chew and chew. In other words,
you have to reach out to the poem and work to gain the appreciation of its
beauty.
A good poem invites you to know the poet. If a poem catches your interest,
you will want to search for the poet's other poems. Most likely, you will
appreciate them as well. Every poet has his or her signature style. For example, Ju-yi Bai uses simple language to express his deep feelings; Wei Wang's poetry
is like a picture; The poetry of Chang-qing Liu and Ying-wu Wei is sensitive and
permeated with emotions; Zhen
Yuan expresses the great love between him and his late wife through reflection
on ordinary things. Bai Li said, "Nature inspires me to write." He, Chang-ling
Wang, Mu Du, and Shang-yin Li enhance their descriptions by closely matching the
symbols of surroundings with their themes. The poetry of Shu Si-kong and Lun Lu
excels in selecting the most beautiful perspectives for their topics. Fu Du's
powerful poems show his deep concern with contemporary social problems. In a
sense, a poem is inseparable from the poet and his or her other writings.
Although each poem has its individual meaning, the entire body of a poet’s work
gives you a better picture of his or her character and philosophy.
A good poem instills life energy into your mind. A poet stores his powerful
life energy in the form of poetry. Each symbol or word describes the theme
gracefully and with strength. The poem may arouse your sympathy, soothe your
frustration, or broaden your vision. The experiences of poets may inspire you to
pursue your life goal, rebound from failure, and gain courage to fight against
evil and hardship. In one word, poetry may guide you to live your life fully and
sing along all the way to the end.
Manhattan, Kansas, October 4th, 2006 Li-Chung Wang