one art by elizabeth bishop

I think poetry has lost an awful lot of its muscle because nobody knows any. Nobody has to memorize poetry. – Peter Davison

I read somewhere that poetry is designed to be read aloud. It’s meant to be given voice and maintains a close relationship with speaking and singing, not just for the eye and the mind. The sound and rhythm are important elements of the music of poetry. True enough, when I try silent reading versus reading aloud, the latter produces more impact, oftentimes pleasurable. The hints of emotions become vivid. Most importantly, it helps to understand and eventually memorize the words.