How do you go about interpreting a poem?

The easiest way to interpret poetry is to organise it into distinct areas. These could include: poem type, rhyme, imagery, punctuation, and context.  For the poem type, you would need to identify some key features and become familiar with the different types of poem, whether that be a sonnet, a lyrical, an epic, or a haiku. All of these have characteristics. An easy example is the Shakespearean sonnet, which has 14 lines written in iambic pentameter, broken down into 3 quatrains and a rhyming couplet at the end. Rhyme is easier to identify, but you must be careful of both rhyming at the end of lines, and within them, and take note of broken rhymes. A sonnet, again, has a distinct rhyming pattern of abab, cdcd, efef, and then gg at the end.  Punctuation is also simple to spot, and somewhat easier to interpret. Take note of where the poet has chosen to place line breaks (such as full stops and dashes), and where they have omitted them too. Punctuation can be a useful tool to understand the overall message of the poem too, as it can break it down into simpler sentences and verses. Imagery is the most abstract part to consider. You must be aware of technical terms for imagery, such as pathetic fallacy, pastoral, motifs, and and sensory imagery. These help to create an awareness of what the poet it portraying, but can also be confusing, so take your time and try to get into the feeling and emotion of a poem to understand this better. Finally, context is a more research based aspect which can shed a lot of light on poetry. For example, take account of the poet's personal circumstances and life, the time period in which they are writing, the literary and artistic movements of the time, and the politics concerned. All these things have a huge influence on the way writers and poets feel and what they ultimately write about or how they write these things.