Ways of Reading

I remember
the first time
I read poetry
in English

letters grouped themselves
in a random way
pot and pat
were two different words
though they looked
almost the same to me

words like sex
fixed their gaze at me
others like death
made me sit still

between the lines
lay a semantic gap
from one stanza to the next
there was an emotional void

eight years passed
I realized
to read is to be read

I remember
the first time
I read poetry

Jan/Feb 2011 issue of Sketchbook