Tell me the truth: how do you feel about poetry?
For the record, I have a consistent habit of being unable to see the deeper meaning in just about every heavily symbolic poem I’ve ever read. I took a couple poetry classes in college, and my MO, especially in one class, was to find out what the professor thought and spit it back to her in my paper. I got an A in the class, but her final comments to me included an admonition to “think for yourself.” But why would I do that when (a) She never taught us how to explicate a poem for ourselves and (b) Why think for myself when she could think for me and give her own thoughts an A?
Messed up, right?
I so wish that lady had taught me what I now know to be true: the poetry can actually be good for your mental health! I’ll bet you know this, even if you think you don’t know this, even if you think you’re not a “poetry person,” even if you think it’s a lot of woo-woo designed for English teachers and not regular people.
Oh nay nay, my friend. It’s designed for you.
And this episode will joyfully show you just how…
NOTES:
Angelou, Maya. “And Still I Rise.”
Boynton, Sandra. Pajama Time. Workman Publishing Company, 2011.
Howard, Bethany. “Scared to Fly.” Permission Granted: Embrace Who You Are, Cultivate Courage, Impact Your World, 2020.
Limbong, Andrew. “We Need Art Right Now. Here’s How to Get Into Poetry.” Life Kit: Tools to Help You Get It Together, April 20, 2022. https://www.npr.org/2020/03/30/823944128/we-need-art-right-now-heres-how-to-get-into-poetry
Oliver, Mary. “The Uses of Sorrow.”
Pieters, Joanna. “11 Reasons a Poetry Habit Will Change Your Thinking.” Vitally Productive. https://joannapieters.com/11-reasons-a-poetry-habit-will-change-your-thinking/
Polisar, Barry Louis. “I’m Standing Naked on the Kitchen Table.” Stanley Stole My Shoelace and Rubbed It in His Armpit and Other Songs My Parents Won’t Let Me Sing, 2005.
Psalm 30: 5, 10-12.
Silverstein, Shel. “Crowded Tub.” A Light in the Attic, 2005.
