“Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true:
That even as we grieved, we grew
That even as we hurt, we hoped
That even as we tired, we tried
That we’ll forever be tied together, victorious” ~ Amanda Gorman
When the 2017 National Youth Poet Laureate spoke these powerful words at the 2020 presidential inauguration, Gorman’s performance was a testament to the power of poetry and its delivery through spoken word to express our collective fears and most fervent hopes. Research shows that poetry—reading, writing, speaking it—can help support our mental health, especially in times of great need. Poetry can provide comfort and boost mood during periods of stress, trauma and grief. Its powerful combination of words, metaphor and meter help us better express ourselves and make sense of the world and our place in it. Different research studies have found evidence that writing or reading poetry can be therapeutic for both patients dealing with illness and adversity as well as their caregivers. Find some links here: https://www.artsandmindlab.org/more-than-words-why-poetry-is-good-for-our-health
Celebrate National Poetry month! Go to your library to find pocket poems, books of poetry, or a quiet place to write your own poems. You might just discover that poetry is better than you thought. Here is a link we used to learn about the event: https://poets.org/national-poetry-month
“Poetry is what we turn to in the most emotional moments of our life – when a beloved friend dies, when a baby is born or when we fall in love,” ~Erica Jong, American novelist, satirist, and poet.