Understanding a poem

Whatever your feelings regarding poetry, there is no substitute for thinking hard and refusing to give in.
Read the title
Use a dictionary to check any unfamiliar words. What does the title suggest to you?
Read the whole poem
Read it all the way through, even if some or all of it doesn't seem to make sense.
Be open to possibilities
Don't decide too quickly that you know what the poem is definitely about, or that you will never understand it.
Read the poem carefully
Read through from the start of the poem to the first full stop. Make a note of what you think is happening. Do the sam…