SIFTing through Poetry

I know that at the word poetry, many of you froze and said, "Ugh. This is why I hate English." I bet we are going to have to beat a poem to death. But, you were wrong.

The goal is to become a great reader of poetry. Good readers of poetry go through certain steps in their head as they read. Some know what they are doing as they and others, just do it.

What steps do those readers take? They SIFT through poetry.
Symbolism - while some people believe it doesn't exists in writing, some do. Are they any symbols in the poem? Why are they there? What do they represent? Does the title represent anything? What is the bigger meaning of the title?
Images - what images does the poet create?
Figures of speech - what literary devices exist? How do they tie into or create meaning? What images do they create?
Tone and Theme - what is the author's attitude about the subject and why did the poet write the poem?

Try this technique next time you need to read  poem. Let me know if it works for you.