Is my interpretation of this poem valid?

When it comes to poetry the issue of understanding usually stems from self doubt. If a student is confident in their subject, they will often dish out an endless stream of interpretations of a certain poem. Whilst this is great, if a less confident student hears this in a classroom, it can make them feel foolish; a student can just assume they are 'incorrect' and 'dumb' before they even test out their interpretation. Previous tutees have proved this to me, being reluctant to put forward their ideas due to embarrassment. However, that's the thing about poetry: it is very much 'anything goes'. If you believe a poem is about something, it can be! All you have to do is ensure you quote the evidence in your answer (what initially led you to believe the poem was about X). You then look further to see if this idea can apply to the entirety of the poem. Different interpretations of a poem can be the key to getting a better grade in English, so it's incredibly important to remember that testing out new ideas is the key to heightening your understanding of a poem.