In "Introduction to Poetry," we're asked to explore a poem using sight, sound, and touch. The mouse meanders through the maze. We are asked to fumble around the walls of a dark room for a light switch. Again and again, Collins presents us with this idea of exploration. So what's up? Does Collins lead a sheltered life? Was he forced to live in a closet below the stairs until a white owl…scratch that. In fact, it is this sense of adventure and exploration that the speaker and, presumably, Collins want to instill in the students when they look at poems.