When poet Billy Collins does a reading, it's standing room only. When he releases a new collection of poetry, it breaks sales records for that underappreciated form of writing. He was U.S. Poet Laureate from 2001 to 2003 and New York State Poet Laureate from 2004 to 2006. And he's well known to National Public Radio listeners.

So the English department at 'Iolani School is pretty excited about Collins' upcoming residence there as the 2007 Keables Chair holder. Collins will work with students and teachers at 'Iolani from Feb. 26 to March 2, and give a poetry reading Feb. 28. With just under 400 seats available, English teacher Frank Briguglio suggests going early.

The Keables Chair was established in 1982 to honor longtime 'Iolani School English teacher Hardol Keables and funds annual visits of educators from various backgrounds.

One reason for Collins' popularity and appeal among people who are far from being literati is that his poems often have a light touch, a bit of humor. In 2004, he was awarded the first Poetry Foundation Mark Twain Award for humor in poetry.

John Updike has said: "Billy Collins writes lovely poems ... Limpid, gently and consistently startling, more serious than they seem, they describe all the worlds that are and were and some others besides."

I ask them to take a poem

and hold it up to the light
like a color slide

or press an ear against its hive.

I say drop a mouse into a poem
and watch him probe his way out,

or walk inside the poem's room
and feel the walls for a light switch.

I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author's name on the shore.

But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.

They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.

— Billy Collins

Reach Wanda A. Adams at wadams@honoluluadvertiser.com.