My two favorite poets are Billy Collins and Leonard Cohen. Billy Collins was the poet laureate from 2001-2003. His work is non-traditional, not following poetic conventions. Some people say that his work is "accessible", a term he dislikes, saying it suggests metaphorical ramps for "poetically handicapped people". Whatever the reason, his words move and amaze me. No one else I have ever read can put a complex experience, all five senses in play, with all the accompanying emotions into a few short words that, taken individually, you would never associate with the subject matter of the poem. I just gave "Nine Horses" to my Daughter's class for their in-class library. I would highly recommend his books even if you have never gotten anything out of poetry before.
