When I received a compliment about something I’d done well at last, from a friend and accomplished author, in response to a post of mine, it made me think about the English language, the purpose of poetry and poetry therapy.
We have an obligation not to deprive students and writers by declaring words obsolete, as some people do. Adding to the choices enriches the language, reducing them makes it poorer.
Let us hope we’ll only keep adding to dictionaries and not resort to stripping away old words to make room for new ones. Poetry helps us preserve our languages in ancient and modern form.
And as I turned to my unpublished collection of poems, my view that no word is obsolete was re-enforced. But why do I write poetry and how does it help me?
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What is the Purpose of Poetry?
One purpose of poetry is to add an extra dimension to writing. It requires discipline to express meaning in a few words within a structure. The best poem requires the reader to think and interpret, to read and reread. Often demanding scrutiny, poetry is without doubt therapeutic and uplifting.
What is Poetry Therapy?
New authors should understand the importance of poetry. The benefits of writing poetry, and the benefits of reading poetry, are not only poetry therapy but great practice for writers, especially novelists. English is a rich language. No word is obsolete, and the greater the choice the better.
Poetry allows you to experiment. Dive deep into your soul and your mind, where your imagination can run wild. Then capture the essence in a few words if you can. It is nothing if not therapeutic.
Here is What the Friend Wrote
“Hey is jewelry a mis-spelling or a non-British version? “He is now Chairman of a jewellery wholesaler”
Here is My Reply
What kind of English should you write?
Call me olde fashioned. English is English. Other versions should be called the name of the country (not English).
It is terribly confusing for Thais, for example, because in Thailand schools English is taught by Thais, Americans, Irish, Swedish, Aussies and a few English.
I have been teaching a 17-year-old Thai girl whose textbooks are in USA English (ugghh!!). So I’m stuffed if I give her a spelling test because according to her teacher (who’s not English) she’ll be wrong often. How did it ever happen? Is it the same with other languages?
With that off my chest let’s move on.
The correct spelling of jewellery is jewellery. Unless you don’t come from England. Then it depends on which country. As Wikipedia lists 100’s it could prove to be difficult.
Now I must write. Unsure what language I’ll use today.”
English is a Rich Language – No Word is Obsolete.
Nowhere is that statement truer than in poetry and it explains in part why poetry is important.
There may be over a million words in the English language, and thousands may be added each year. Some people believe, apart from adding words, other words should be deleted from dictionaries and no longer used because they are archaic and therefore obsolete. I disagree.
English is rich in the choice of words at our disposal which enables us to add colour and depth to our writing. Because a word is not in general use, does not make it obsolete. I believe if we lose our language skills it could lead to a breakdown in Society.
How many students read Shakespeare, Dickens, Wordsworth and Yeats today? I think we all know the answer to that. Tolstoy is compulsiory reading in Russian schools. Imagine starting out on a literary career having already read War and Peace and Anna Karenina.
Is Poetry Writing a Talent?
I like this quote I found in The New Times – Rwanda’s leading Daily.
‘Poetry is a skill that cannot be forged. You either have it or don’t. Poets are fascinating because of their natural flow of words and rhymes; they have a talent which is innate and effortless.’
While I agree with the writer’s sentiments, I believe that all aspiring authors should learn about poetry to help them understand the benefits of writing poetry. Not necessarily to publish, but because it will help to improve their writing.
Short stories are a great way to help authors build a career.
I recall Joyce Carol Oates saying the same. At least I think it was her. If not, it was someone equally as famous.
Read and Write Poetry: It’s Important for Students Education
The importance of poetry to students is that It helps writers to develop skills, find new ideas and improve on old ones. It makes you think, and with practice you will eliminate more redundant words and phrases, making your writing slicker and more concise. Editing your work will be quicker and easier as a result. You may even avoid too many spelling mistakes which costs millions, as I point out in another post.
‘…poetry enables teachers to teach their students how to write, read, and understand any text. Poetry can give students a healthy outlet for surging emotions. Reading original poetry aloud in class can foster trust and empathy in the classroom community, while also emphasizing speaking and listening skills that are often neglected in high school literature classes.
Students who don’t like writing essays may like poetry, with its dearth of fixed rules and its kinship with rap. For these students, poetry can become a gateway to other forms of writing. It can help teach skills that come in handy with other kinds of writing—like precise, economical diction, for example… All forms of writing benefits from the powerful and concise phrases found in poems.’ Source: The Atlantic.
How Poetry Therapy can Heal and Affect the Brain
When colourful, profound language is used to express emotion, thoughts, or scenes, it can arouse intense feelings. Like the beat in music, the cadence in poetry can inspire us and invite us to dream and see the world from a different perspective. The effect on the brain can change the way we think, if only for a short time. But the message conveyed through the words of great poetry can stay with us forever, and in the process, it can heal us in ways traditional medicine cannot. Poetry therapy is a most powerful form of therapy.
The Benefits of Poetry Reading
There is poetry therapy in the opening lines of Twelfth Night. Orsino asks for more and more music, because he is frustrated in his courtship of Olivia. Too much music may cure his obsession with his love for Olivia. If he gets so much of it, his desire will be satiated, and he will lose his appetite for it. Then the desire will be gone.
‘If music be the food of love, play on,
Give me excess of it; that surfeiting,
The appetite may sicken, and so die.’
Twelfth Night by Wiliam Shakespeare
What Effect can a Poem have on the Reader?
No two people will read those 23 words in the same way. So, the words or the way they are structured must have different meaning to each individual who reads them. Be a willing and trusting reader and you will experience the benefits and feel how Shakespeare transformed a few ordinary words into something magical.
Poetry Therapy and the Power of Words
We should never underestimate the power of words.
“The human tongue is a beast that few can master. It strains constantly to break out of its cage, and if it is not tamed, it will run wild and cause you grief.” – The Holy Bible
While words can cut like a knife, they have been used for healing as far back as the ancient Egyptians who gave writings on papyrus to the sick. How effective it was is anyone’s guess, and I wouldn’t rely too much on stories that go back thousands of years. But we all know about the bedside manner of doctors, the calming influence of local priests, and the comfort some people get from their shrink.
Then there is The National Association for Poetry Therapy, a non-profit organization that works to use writing as a tool for healing and growth.
The Benefits when People Write Poetry
Literature can become more attractive and expressive when a little poeticism is introduced. Don’t overdo it but use it when it’s appropriate to express deep-seated emotions in your characters.
I’m seldom happier than when I’m writing poetry or listening to music or doing both at the same time. Writing in different forms makes your writing more rounded. Novels, short stories, blog posts, or whatever you write.
Poetry adds another dimension, especially in free form where anything goes and allows you to experiment in many ways. Dive deep into your soul and your mind, where your imagination can run wild, and you will be amazed at what you may find.
My food of love is writing, and music is its accompaniment. Poetry is always there somewhere in the ether, playing gently alongside the other things I do. It never interferes. It floats in and out of my daily life at random and is never invasive.
And when it lands, as it does sooner or later, I look for the message it brings. Expressing meaningful things in just a few words, sometimes easy to understand, sometimes demanding interpretation and scrutiny. Poetry is without doubt therapeutic and uplifting.
Where does Poetry come from?
A poet is a writer, performer, or composer of poetry who demonstrates imaginative power and beauty of thought, language, and expression in creative writing.
Poems can appear from nowhere. They may call out from around the corner or while buzzing about in the cool morning air. Catch them while you can.
I never have to plan them.
I couldn’t if I tried.
But if I say they’re sent from heaven,
The chances are, I’ve lied.
James King
You see. Just like that from nowhere. No thought, no planning, that came – from, I know not where – right now as I write this post. Maybe it was hiding under the desk.
I am not a writer of poetry. I am a collector. I capture the stuff as I go about my daily life. Like those four lines of poetic therapy that came from – I know not where.
I write bits and pieces down, and then a poem appears out of the pieces. Sometimes the poem arrives, unannounced, already written and as beautiful as the most exquisite butterfly, that teases you, daring you to try and catch her. So, although I must act quickly, I only have to write it down. It sounds all too easy, and it so often is.
If you are the same, you’ll understand. Even if you haven’t had the experience yet, you will if you are a creative writer. Don’t miss them as they come through. Write them down, play with the words and your thoughts, and before you know it you’ll have a hundred or more. Maybe you’ll publish them one day to great acclaim.
Final Thoughts
I don’t have to answer to anyone. No-one is looking over my shoulder saying that’s awful, write it again, or that’s not too bad. No publisher, no newspaper editor expecting stuff on demand. I couldn’t do that. I could never write poetry for a living.
Poetry is therapeutic. I do it for my own amusement, and if I like it, I keep it and maybe I’ll publish it someday. If I don’t like it then it goes in the bin.
So there you have it; no secret formula, I can’t hurt anyone and if one person likes a poem I have written then I’ll be a little happier that day. And I’ll keep doing it because poetry is therapeutic, and it helps me write my novels and short stories.
Try it, and let me know what you think.
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Updated April 2024