In Billy Collins’ poem Introduction to Poetry,

(1) The metaphor in the first stanza compares enjoying poetry to a picture that suddenly opens up.  A slide is dark and without meaning until light goes through it, and then suddenly there is a whole image that opens up full of color and meaning as a student of poetry looks for the deeper meaning.

(2) In addition to a visual metaphor (1), Collins’ uses and metaphor about hearing, comparing analyzing a poem to listening to the noise of a beehive where there is constant activity, even it you may not be able to see what it’s all about.

(3) The third metaphor suggests that analyzing a poem ought to be fun, like solving a maze.  Start from the inside (like a mouse) and work your way out to figure out the message.  This will mean turning down many different paths, some that don’t go anywhere.

(4) The fourth metaphor is much like the 1st, this time comparing poetry analysis to looking for the light switch in a dark room, until suddenly, all at once, the “light comes on” and you find the meaning.

(5) The next metaphor compares the analysis of a poem to skimming along the surface of a lake like a waterskier.  Even if you don’t want to “dive in” to the deeper meaning, you should just be able to enjoy the poem for its beauty.

(6) The last metaphor is negative instead of positive, and it seems as though the author is frustrated that his students tend to interrogate poems as though they are evil and that the deeper meanings won’t come out just by enjoying the poem, but only by analyzing them by “beating them with a hose” while they are tied up.  Doesn’t sound fun…. but does sort of remind of analyzing poems for the AP practice exams…  :)