Poetry as a healing art: Words that mend the soul
Poetry is often thought of as a form of entertainment or self-expression, but it can also be a powerful tool for healing. Reading and writing poetry can help us to process difficult emotions, make sense of our experiences, and find solace in the shared human condition.
Here are some of the ways in which poetry can be healing:
It can help us to process difficult emotions. Poetry can provide a safe space for us to express our pain, grief, anger, and other difficult emotions. It can also help us to understand and accept our emotions, and to find healthy ways of coping with them.
It can help us to make sense of our experiences. Poetry can help us to reflect on our experiences and to see them in a new light. It can also help us to find meaning and purpose in our suffering.
It can help us to connect with others. Poetry can help us to feel less alone in our experiences. It can also help us to connect with others who have shared similar experiences.
It can offer us comfort and hope. Poetry can remind us that we are not alone in our suffering, and that there is always hope for healing.
Poetry therapy is a type of therapy that uses poetry to promote healing and well-being. Poetry therapists work with individuals and groups to use poetry to process emotions, make sense of experiences, and connect with others. You do not need to work with a therapist to find poetry as your own healing way.
Here are some tips for using poetry as a healing art:
Find poems that resonate with you. There is no right or wrong way to choose poems for healing. The most important thing is to find poems that speak to you on a personal level.
Read the poems slowly and carefully. Take your time to savor the words and images. Pay attention to how the poems make you feel. Engage your senses as you read through some of your favorite poems.
Write your own poems. Writing poetry can be a powerful way to process your emotions and to make sense of your experiences. There is no need to be a professional poet to write healing poetry. Just write whatever comes to mind. Poetry is for the people!
Share your poems with others. Sharing your poems with others can help you to connect with others who have shared similar experiences, and it can also help you to feel less alone. There are poetry circles that offer a supportive atmosphere . Libraries , art centers, senior centers and community spaces may offer something creative in your local area.
If you are interested in using poetry for healing, there are many resources available to help you. There are books and articles on the subject, and there are also poetry therapists who can work with you individually or in a group. In my Biography & Sacred Arts work - poetry is a meaningful, healing practice.
Dandelion Seeds
Nature Aria
by Yi Lei
translated by Tracy K. Smith and Changtai Bi
Autumn wind chases in
From all directions
And a thousand chaste leaves
Give way.
Scatter in me the seeds
Of a thousand saplings.
Let grow a grassy heaven.
On my brow: a sun.
This bliss is yours, Living
World, and alone it endures.
Music at midnight.
Young wine.
Lovers hand in hand
By daylight, moonlight.
Living World, hold me
In your mouth,
Slip on your frivolous shoes
And dance with me. My soul
Is the wild vine
Who alone has grasped it,
Who has seen through the awful plot,
Who will arrive in time to vanquish
The river already heavy with blossoms,
The moon spilling light onto packs
Of men. What is sadder than witless
Wolves, wind without borders,
Nationless birds, small gifts
Laden with love’s intentions?
Fistfuls of rain fall hard, fill
My heart with mud. An old wind
May still come chasing in.
Resurrection fire. And me here
Laughing like a cloud in trousers,
Entreating the earth to bury me.
“Poetry really is the cure.
When we stop jabbering long enough to listen to what is going on around, among, and inside us—and we have someone to help us put that into the fewest, truest words available to us—the air clears and the aliveness flows through all the spaces in between.”