It is helpful to remember that in literary poetry there is often some enigma; as Robert Frost observed, "A poem that is completely clear is a trifle glaring." What this means is that as poetry is read aloud, thoughtfully, allowing time and repeated readings to open up layers of meaning within the written lines, the reader's creative imagination must also come alive, becoming almost as vital a part of the process as the artistic intent of the poet. And every reader will make something different of a poem as it is interpreted in light of a life that is unique to each.

Luci Shaw, The Green Earth: Poems of Creation, Introduction: "The Need to Pay Attention"