An interview with Billy Collins :

Me: Billy, what did you feel when you wrote the poem "Introduction to Poetry" ?

Billy: I felt angry, angry of all those teachers that teach in a wrong way! Teachers who won’t let their students use  their imagination.

Me: So, what is exactly the message that you tried to  convey in your poem?

Billy: Well, I tried to explain to students that they can learn literature in a much more fun  way.

Me: and in a different way, are all of your poems are created in order to convey a message?

Billy: I think that every poet  tries to convey some messages in every one of his poems, because this is the purpose in poems.

Me: but sometimes because all of the metaphors in the poems it is very hard – for the reader, to understand the message or the  deeper meaning of the poem, do you want to explain why  you needed all those metaphors?

Billy: in poems it is all about the metaphors, without them it’s just a regular song. Also with metaphors you can express yourself without the fear that someone will be hurt because of this.

Me: so,  in conclusion, what do you think can provide students and teachers open  their mind for poetry?

Billy: well, all I can say to help in this area is that before you read a poem, relax! Take it easy it’s just a poem and you need to enjoy it and not to treat it like a punishment.

Neta Gabay yod 3