I subscribed to Poetry shortly before I retired. At first, I was really excited and enjoyed each issue very much. It was well worth the $2.00 per issue (annual subscription $24.00).
Lately, though, the excitement was wearing off. Often when I brought in the magazine and read it eagerly, I found few or no poems I liked. And the commentary was too abstruse. Then there was the modern art. I'm still unclear on how graphic art = poetry.
Anyway, last month I got a bill for another year. The price had gone up to $26.00. I put the notice aside, to think about whether it was worth it.
Then the latest issue arrived. And the first poem really appealed to me. It was a rather long poem, which I usually don't care for, or only care for selected portions. This one was good all the way through.
So now I'm going to resubscribe. I like supporting The Poetry Foundation, and even an occasional gem is probably worth a bit more than $2.00 per issue.
I also subscribe to Poetry Northwest, with a similar annual fee, but they publish only twice a year. I'm still waiting for the second issue.
