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Poetry is a discipline all its own. It's generally considered one of the most inaccessible and difficult portions of literature. Yet, reading poetry can be an incredibly rewarding experience. It's often seen as the perfect antidote to a world defined by social media bubbles and instant gratification. It forces you to read slowly, look for links between words and sounds, and experience truth and beauty. However, don't take our word for it. The celebrities in this image gallery feel exactly the same, and have all selected their favorite poems. Click on to discover which ones they are and why.

▲One of Oprah's more famous friendships was the one with American poet Maya Angelou, so it should come as no surprise that Oprah's favorite poem was written by her.

▲On her own website the media tycoon and talk show host mentioned her favorite poem was Angelou's 'Phenomenal Woman,' calling it "life defining."

▲The Harry Potter author's favorite poem is by another American great. Walt Whitman's 'Of the Terrible Doubt of Appearances' is her all time fave.

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The poem from Whitman's famous collection 'Leaves of Grass' was her pick for an anthology to raise money for the non-profit, War Child.

▲When it comes to the arts, James Franco is a true jack-of-all-trades. The actor, director, published author, visual artist, and dance theater director revealed not just one, but two favorite poems.

▲They were 2004's 'October' by Louise Glück and 'Cement Truck' by Tony Hoagland.

▲The comedic actor's favorite poem was written by someone very close to him: his own father, Larry M. Kutcher. The poem, 'What Are You Doing,' affected him deeply.

▲His dad became a Marine at 17 and saw combat. Kutcher said the poem made him realize how scarred his dad was.

▲The veteran actress adores 'Flower in the Crannied Wall,' a deceptively simple poem by British Victorian poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

▲The actress commented Tennyson's poem "begs a question of such enormous magnitude that you could spend a lifetime seeking the answer."

▲The former heavyweight boxing champion revealed that when he was 12 years old he was introduced to a poem called 'Don't Quit.' However, he didn't remember the name of the poet.

▲A little research revealed that that poet was actually John Greenleaf Whittier. The former boxer just remembered the last couple of lines: "Stick to the fight when you're hardest hit / It's when things seem worst that you must not quit."

▲The director's favorite poem is 'For the Artist at the Start of Day' by the late Irish poet John O'Donohue.

▲He says it gives him an opportunity to remember where it all begins.

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Actress (and Spielberg's wife) Kate Capshaw had a very strong reaction to reading David Whyte's poem 'Self Portrait' for the first time.

▲She was so deeply moved by the poem that she cried the first time she read it.

▲The actor revealed his favorite poem to be W.B. Yeats' 'The Stolen Child.' The first time he heard the influential Irishman's poem was in Dublin.

▲"Standing there was a bearded man with haunted eyes, busking for change. He had a sandwich board draped over his shoulders with a long list of poems he could recite from memory," Dillon told Oprah.com.

▲The former Police front man is partial to the Ted Hughes poem 'The Thought Fox.'

▲According to the singer it deals with writer's block. He says he can identify with looking desperately for creative inspiration and just not finding it.

▲The horror master's favorite poem is the suitably gruesome 'Falling' by James L. Dickey, about an air stewardess falling out of a plane.

▲Not only does he like the lyrical language and the style of the poem, he also thinks it's a great metaphor for the human condition.

▲The actress, producer, and Tom Hanks' wife of over 30 years revealed her favorite poem is 'Ithaka' by the modern Greek poet C.P. Cavafy.

▲She sees the poem as being about the journey of life, reminding us that the "monsters" you come across in life are just passing difficulties.

▲The novelist, who knows many French poems by heart, revealed that her favorite poem is 'The Drunken Boat' by 19th-century French poet Arthur Rimbaud.

▲Written in 1871 when he was only 17, the 100-line poem about a rudderless boat lost at sea is narrated in the first person. She says it's never lost its magic to her.

▲The former 10,000 Maniacs singer and successful solo artist's favorite poem is Gerald Manley Hopkins' 'Spring and Fall.'

▲"In our daily use of language we lack the ability to speak of the most profound experiences, but poetry can do that for us," the singer explained.

▲The fashion designer doesn't have one favorite poem, but 154!

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He loves all of Shakespeare's sonnets. He's been passionate about them since his teenage years, when he received a special edition that still sits on his bedside table.