Andrey's questions about poems (split from the intro thread)

[Achebe]

Andrey, what's your education background?

I did eight whole years in two different St.-Petersburg schools, finished grades 9-12 in Sparks (sort of a Siamese "city" to Reno), got an Associate's in Computer Science from a community college and a Bachelor's in Computer Science (with the focus on Games and Simulation) from the University of Nevada, Reno.

OK. Well, I have a background in engineering myself, but my much older brother was a Literature major, and I got exposed to Spenser and Shakespeare when I was little all thanks to him. Otherwise, I may have found it hard to believe that poetry has any purpose other than communication, i.e. that it can exist for the sheer pleasure of existing.
My advice to you would be to just read more. We learn at the fringe of what we know, and as you know more, some of the questions you're asking will find their own answers. But if after you've given it a fair shot nothing comes of it, then yeah - it's time to drop it. My father in law swears by golf, I positively hate it, so it takes all sorts.