Reviews
I’ve never read poetry before. Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda was my first real experience with it, and while I can’t say I understood everything, I can definitely say I felt something.To be completely honest, I don’t get 95% of the metaphors in this book. The deeper meanings, the symbolism—all of that mostly went over my head. But at the same time, I understood what Neruda was trying to say in a way that I can’t really explain. It’s a contradiction, but it makes sense to me: I don’t fully understand the poems, yet I get them.Certain lines gave me goosebumps. Certain poems—like Tonight I Can Write and I Like for You to Be Still—hit me in a way I didn’t expect. I can’t break them down or analyze them, but I know they sound beautiful. I know they made me feel something deep, even if I wouldn’t be able to explain exactly why.I don’t know how to judge poetry. I can’t tell what makes a poem “great” or a “masterpiece.” But I do know that this book made me realize poetry isn’t just about understanding—it’s about experiencing. And even though this was my first time reading poetry, I know it won’t be my last.For anyone who’s never read poetry before and doesn’t think they would understand it, I’d still say: give this book a try. You might not get every word, but you might get enough—and that’s more than enough to make you feel something real.