My opinion on Poetry

I find poetry as an interesting subject for discussion. When I read poetry, I find myself trying to piece together a massive puzzle in my mind. It's not easy...... With poetry, I understand the outline and the emotion the author is trying to portray. Is that all I'm really suppose to comprehend about it? I'm not able to differentiate between the exact details.
To me, poetry is a very individual experience. There is no steady ground when an author shares his or her poetry since it can be viewed in so many different ways. I feel that with poetry, the original purpose that the author intended is never experienced by the readers. Everyone takes a different meaning out of what they read.
In a way, I think this is why I somewhat dislike the subject. When I read a book, I appreciate it if it is sweet, simple, and to the point. I like being able to annalyze the author by his or her way of writing. When I finish a book, I feel as if the author and I are acquainted, even though that person has NO idea who I am. So when they leave the story unclear and for the reader to ponder, I feel as if I could be reading some monster's work. For example: You're reading a book, you get to the end, and the hero/heroine is clearly in a dire situation. Then the book abruptly comes to a hault. How do you know if that person lived or died? How do you know if that person died painfully or not? This is what keeps me up at night. (The book The Giver is a prime example)
I view poetry in a similar way; the only difference being that first you have to put the jigsaw puzzle together, then you are able to analyze the author. However, sometimes the jigsaw can't go together without the reader still pondering if they had the author's intentions correct or not. It drives me just a little nutty.