Explication of "Eating Poetry" by Mark Strand

To me, this poem has two very different meanings. The first being that maybe this poem is written from a dog's point of view. This poem could be about a dog who managed to get into a library and munch on some poetry. This is hinted when the narrator says that he got down on his knees to lick the librarians hand and it is also referred to when they narrator says that he snarled and barked at the librarian. Also, in the first like of the poem, it says "Ink runs from the corners of my mouth", this could also refer to  dog because dogs tend to eat in a messy way, unlike humans.

The second meaning that this poem may be depicting is a man who absolutely loves poetry. He loves it so much that he would just devour it as described in this poem. This entire poem could be just a metaphor that the author uses to compare poetry with something that the narrator loves to eat. This meaning is displayed to the reader when the reader does not pay attention to the very obvious references to a dog.