Getting Into Reading Poetry

If you don't know a lot about poetry then you might not know where to start when it comes to reading it, let alone writing any.  One of the best places to begin is in an anthology, something like The Rattle Bag edited by Seamus Heaney and Ted Hughes which is a particularly good one.  Try to read all the poems at least twice because sometimes you get so much more out of a second or third reading.  You'll find that you are drawn to some poems but not others.  Seek out the authors of the poems you like and read their work.  Another tip is to try reciting the poems out loud.  This gives you a feel for the music and sound of the poetry.
Most importantly, don't worry about getting it wrong.  And the final tip is something I learned from years of listening to Bob Dylan.  You don't have to know what it means to love it!