Complex Yet Simple Poetry

My thesis revolves around the idea that intimidating poetry does not need to be intimidating. I think often time, especially for someone like me who hasn't read a poem since junior year of high school, poetry can be scary to try and pick apart and understand.

I see a poem that is a simple "ABAB" format and looks like and the lines are even similar in length and I think, "Yes, this is a poem for me. No gimmicks. Nothing weird. Just a nice, simple, ham-and-cheese poem."  Seeing a poem like "Ars Poetica" can make me nervous.

A part of me doesn't even like these kinds of poem. I think to myself, "Why? Why make something that could be so simple and clean so confusing and weird?" I get turned off and don't even feel like reading it. This is unfair to these kinds of poems. When I took the time to read "Ars Poetica" and try to dissect it (which I am terrible at), I felt better about it, and was excited to try this with other poems. I'll use this poem and maybe another from the reading to show how learning to look at the form, context, and the 5 some other things we learned to do, while intimidating, is simple and makes all other poems great.

A lot of things can be taken in this kind of light. I love sports. I have played football for nearly 13 years of my life, and I would like to think I know it pretty well. When I watch a game, I see these small details on the field. I see how the offensive lineman react to the defense- blitzes, shifts, formations, etc. I see the quarterback look off the safety to free up the tight end running a quick post. These sort of details, while not needed to enjoy football, make it that much more amazing to me. I believe this same thing should be used in poetry.