Where to Start! A Poetry Guide for Beginners

This is the list I would have wanted when I started reading poetry. It has a bit of everything and will get your mind right.

This is a list of good poems for anyone starting their journey into poetry. The following poems share some combination of fun reads, intriguing ideas, or examples of literary devices done well.

I would recommend reading and thinking critically about at least one poem a day. Read it multiple times and read it out loud. Give poetry a chance because like everything else in life it takes practice and time to develop. Here is a solid 30 poem start.

1.  Exactly what the titles says, Introduction to Poetry.
2.  This is a children's poem, but excellent none the less: Masks.
3.  A perfect example of an extended metaphor, Tupac isn't talking about roses, "The Rose that Grew from Concert" by Tupas Shukur.
4. What is going to happen to you after this 30 day trial, Eating Poetry.
5. The life of a player: We Real Cool..
6. A poem about loving words and new places, Tula. 
7. Another poem about living, Caelica 83
8. Burnt Ship A fun but unfortunate poem for the characters.
9. Ambition over Adversity another Tupac poem.
10. A very short poem about Lame Beggars.
11. Short and funny how You Fit into Me.
12. The perfect poem for baseball fans, and a good analogy for life: Forgiving Buckner.
13. A lighthearted suicide poem, Resume.
14. Rupi Kuar is a fun poet who uses art and words to express her thoughts. Here is one similar to "Masks," it was when I stopped 
15. This is a short poem full of images to keep our hope: Dreams.
16.  Another poem on dreams by Hughes that uses personification, Dream Keeper.
17. Another poem about the power of words in Words with Wings.
18. One of the funnest poems I know. Read it out loud, read all poems out loud, but especially A Ballad in A! 
19. A very funny and true poem about English grammar called Hints on Pronunciation.
20. A lesson on How to Eat a Poem.
21. A poem that captures the unique voice of the narrator, A Small Needful Fact.
22. A poem for babies on how to be with A Few Rules for Beginners.
23. A Grammar Lesson
24. A poem for the reader, Selecting a Reader.
25. The Paradox of Life is a short with a lot to about the capacity of being human.
26. A narrator struggles with a choice in "Only One of My Deaths." 
27. One of many explanations why poetry can be hard during A Poetry Reading at West Point.
28. A great poem about how to live, The Dash
29. Here is a taste of Shakespeare.
30. Here is a poem about life and choices and The Road Not Taken. And a good gateway day 30 poem.

From here I'd go with Poetry 180. Or continue with this blog, poems vary in complexity, time period, and style among other things.

Suggestions! Please leave a comment if you have something to add to the list, or think something should be removed.