The Weekly Poem...&Three Good Reasons Why You Should Be Reading It

NOB HILL--Some of you must wonder why I publish Ted Kooser's poetry column. Here are three reasons.

1. Reading poetry makes you a better reader, listener, and thinker. Following the sometimes complex structure and images of a poem is a short lesson in logic.
2. Kooser's column presents a different poet each week. You probably have heard of none of them. A year from now you will have read a short piece by 52 different poets...and unlike your college coursework, these writers are still alive. Almost nobody can name even one living poet.
   
3. The best reason is that because all these poems are short as well as good, you can use this column to judge your own state of mind...kind of like an ethereally digital mood ring. If you get bored in 20 lines or less, then you need to get a better grip. Life (including poetry) is better than that.