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ill72 CalmMoment.cominhabit without being impeded by the notions
of practicalities and borders.”
That was particularly true for me. I started
dabbling in poetry just before I fell pregnant and
then again when I started suffering from postnatal
depression. As a busy and shattered new mother,
I found it to be a manageable form. Writing poetry
uplifted me in such a way that I was able to break
through the feelings of isolation and grief by
rediscovering my identity. I began to recognise myself
again by communicating my reality onto the page.
Sometimes this was executed with some ambiguity
to the reader, which provided a ‘safe space’ for me
where needed.
During those hazy mornings and difficult nights,
what I was scribbling onto scraps of paper in between
feeds wasn’t poetry. Much of my therapeutic writing
did later transform into poems, but in those early
days, words were fragments from my mind looking
to escape. I captured all the dark thoughts, the things
I couldn’t share with anyone. In fact, it was these most
challenging times that brought a wellspring of
inspiration. The page was a place I could go to make
sense of things. Often, I’d end up finding missing
pieces of the jigsaw – writing things I had no idea
I was feeling or thinking.
Recently, I’ve discovered the power of exploring
specific types of poems depending on how I am
feeling. Scherezade agrees. “Poems come in many
different shapes and sizes. I have used haibun
[a Japanese poetry form which combines prose and
haiku and often includes autobiography] as a format
for clients who have debilitating anxieties or OCDas part of their journalling practice. Elegies [a deep
reflection or lament] can be read and written to
comfort us in times of grief or loss. There is a sense
of companionship I derive from having read a poem
that mirrors my current state of being. This can be
true for others as well.”
That said, I’m a big believer that you don’t have
to fully understand technique or form (the shape
and structure of the poem) to be able to write a
poem or benefit from poetry therapy. Poets and
teachers may argue that there is a great deal that
can, and must, be learned about form, but with
poetry therapy, what’s important is the process of
writing, not the outcome.
These days, there are many opportunities to
explore poetry seriously, for fun or as a form of
creative therapy. There are also countless magazines,
workshops, online courses, poetry schools, masters
programmes, retreats, mentors, grants, competitions
and regional 1 : 1 poetry clinics to choose from.
The most important thing to remember is to just
write, from wherever is calling. Remain close to what
matters to you, write free but stay true, and let the
process unfold without overthinking it.Scherezade Sanchita Siobhan
Scherezade Siobhan is an Indo-Rroma
award-winning writer, psychologist and
community catalyst who has published
3 books: Bone Tongue (Thought Catalog,
2015), Father, Husband (Salopress, 2016)
and The Bluest Kali (Lithic Press, 2018).
Find her on social media @zaharaesqueEmily Berry @no1_emily
Liz Berry @misslizberry
Yrsa Daley-Ward @YrsaDaleyWard
Helen Ivory @nellivory
Rupir Kaur @rupikaur_poetry
Hollie McNish @holliepoetry
Pascale Petit @pascalepoet
Scherezade Sanchita Siobhan
@zaharaesque
Kate Tempest @katetempest
David Whyte @whytedwInstant inspiration
Poets love Twitter! Here
are just a few ‘handles with
heart’ to follow:Rupi Kaur is an Indian-born
Canadian poet known for her short,
poignant and easily-accessible
poetry. the sun and her flowers
(pictured) is her second collection.