It takes me five to six days to be able to memorize a poem, and about ten days to be comfortable with one. I average a little over a poem memorized a day is by working on ten or more poems at one time.

The Method

If the poem is long then break the poem into smaller portions and spend ten days on each portion. For example, I’m memorizing Walt Whitman’s A Song of Myself, John Milton’s Paradise Lost, and T.S. Eliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. These are too long to memorize in one go, so I split them up into smaller sections.

First, split the poem into little chunks about 5-15 words in length. Whatever is comfortable. We will call these “phrases”.

Day 1: Read each phrase by itself 4 times then recite it 4 times before moving onto the next phrase. Work through every phrase in the poem, one by one, until you’re done with the poem.

Day 2: Read each phrase 3 times and then repeat 4 times. Work through each phrase one by one until you finish the poem.

Day 3: Read each phrase 3 times and then repeat 3 times. Work through each phrase one by one until you finish the poem.

Day 4: Read two phrases together 2 times and then repeat 3 times. Pair phrases together all the way through until you reach the end.

Day 5: Combine four phrases together and read them 2 times then repeat 2 times.

Day 6: Read the entire poem 1 time and repeat 2 times.

Day 7-10: Read the poem 1 time and recite it 1 time.

For longer poems that will take a long time, recite the entire long portion of the poem you’ve memorized in weeks prior once a week. You’ll be able to retain what you need until you can finish the entire work.

Why I don’t maintain poems after I memorize them

I enjoy memorizing poems but not maintaining them. I’ve memorized hundreds of poems and maintaining them is a lot of work that isn’t worth the time. When I forget a poem I want to remember, I’ll go back to it and usually be able to memorize it word perfect again in a few minutes. Usually after 5-10 times forgetting and remembering, it will become so deeply entrenched in my mind that I never forget it again. Since I dread maintaining poems I’ve already memorized and I can quickly memorize poems I want to keep for a lifetime, I just don’t do it.

Stacking

Every morning I grab a stack of books to enjoy over breakfast.

Currently, I’m memorizing from authors like Rilke, Joseph Conrad, Gerard Hopkins, Cormac McCarthy, Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, T. S. Eliot, Walt Whitman, John Milton, and Mary Oliver.

Because I own the books I don’t mind marking them up. I’ll open up to where I’m memorizing and put a dash to mark the day. This helps me keep track of my progress through each passage I’m memorizing. I start with one book, work through what’s needed for the day for a particular passage, then move to the next book. I repeat this through all the books.

Make sure to study the poems. Try to understand what they are saying and what they mean. I usually do this around day 2-3 with a new poem when my curiosity peaks. Getting to the heart of a poem helps it be more easily memorized.

Why This Works for Me

There are memory techniques that work better than rote memorization. Memory Palaces, for example, are powerful aids to memory. So why don’t I use them?

First, setting up palaces takes time and I don’t like setting them up. Sounds “terrible” to say, considering how hyped they are, but I really don’t like doing it. I’d rather be reading poetry than setting up stations in an imaginary space.

Second, poetry is sacred. I began by memorizing extended sections of Scripture, and assigning insane, sexualized, or violent images at stations to remember Scripture felt sacreligious. Poetry is the same to me.

Third, I’m tired of being told that only “the most efficient way” is the way to do something. Why? I like spending time with the poetry; I’d rather take longer to memorize a poem if it means spending more time with the words. The goal isn’t memorization but time in thought with a good poem. Smelling a flower is a “waste of life”—but it isn’t—and it isn’t a waste of time to spend time with a poem.