In the rabbinical tradition, at times of calamity and great suffering, Jews are advised to read three books: 

• Jeremiah
• Lamentations
• Job

The fact that the most important passages of these books were written in poetry is no accident. For it is poetry, and poetry alone, that can truly give voice to the utterances of our hearts.

“How lonely sits the city that was full of people! How like a widow has she become, she that was great among the nations!” — (Lamentations 1:1)

“The old men have quit the city gate, the young men their music. The joy of our hearts has ceased; our dancing has been turned to mourning….” — (Lamentations 5:14-15)

Poetry operates in the realm of emotions and feelings. It is the language of love, longing, grief, fear, and wonder. When someone says they do not “understand” poetry, what they mean is that their way of approaching it is not letting them “feel” the poems.

The way poetry is taught—as if a poem is a puzzle to be riddled out—is part of the problem. The larger problem, though, is a spiritual one. As we become more secular as a culture, poetry becomes increasingly difficult to approach and appreciate.