"Here I am! What now?"
Oh, hello! Lovely to see you! Well, for starters, you could read the poem below...

"Simple-Song"

by Marge Piercy

When we are going toward someone we say
you are just like me
your thoughts are my brothers
word matches word
how easy to be together.

When we are leaving someone we say
how strange you are
we cannot communicate
we can never agree
how hard, hard and weary to be together.

We are not different nor alike
but each strange in his leather body
sealed in skin and reaching out clumsy hands
and loving is an act
that cannot outlive
the open hand
the open eye
the door in the chest standing open.

"So this is a poem. What am I supposed to do now?"

Ask yourself these questions to develop a greater understanding of the poem:
How does this poem affect you?
What emotions/thoughts do you believe the poet is attempting to convey?
Is there a moral or attitude being expressed in the poem?
Does the poem tell a story?
What is the key line in the poem that best expresses its mood?

[Yawn] "How enlightening. Can I get more information?"

Check out some of these links...
Ms. Effinger's Page
Academy of American Poets
"Love is not All" by Edna St. Vincent Millay, an essay
More about poets and poetry on Yahoo!
Poets and Writers Online
Poetry Magazine
Love Poetry--For All You Striving Romantics Out There
Interactive Poetry
Dark and Deadly Poetry


For more information (or just to quench your poetic thirst) visit the homepage of Marge Piercy, the author of the poem from above.