Mental Health Mondays: Poetry & Stress

William Wordsworth, a famous English poet from the Romantic era, defined poetry as "the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility." Is it any wonder that people have turned to poetry to help them process their emotions? Writing your thoughts can be a great catharsis to stress. Poets through the ages have fueled their emotions into creative efforts. Writer's Digest lists 8 benefits of writing poetry: Poetry is good for developmental learning Poetry is good for developing skills Poetry helps improve ideas Poetry is therapeutic for…continue reading →

Haiku – Masquerade

A haiku is a very popular poetic form from Japan. Originally, the haiku focused on subjects in nature and promoted tranquility and wisdom. It is only 3 lines long--the first and last line each have five syllables while the second line contains 7 syllables. Here is an original haiku by staff member Rebeca Parrott.   Masquerade Origami swans float across the sea disguised as paper dragons.continue reading →

National Poetry Month – Poetry Gets Personal Pt. 2

Some years ago, amidst my own college education, I first ran into the legacy of Sylvia Plath. It was complicated. Myself a fledgling writer, I was humbled when a friend of mine compared me to the late poet. We share a birthday, and that was where I thought the similarities ended. It was not until I did further research (...late-night Wikipedia) that I discovered her tale was as touching as it was troubling. For this month, we choose to delve deeper into the woman who was.  Her life is more explored and noted…continue reading →

Villanelle – Shadow of the Ring

Attribution: "Dol Goldur" by Neral. CC BY 3.0 The villanelle consists of five tercets (a tercet is a grouping of 3 lines) and a quatrain (a grouping of four lines). Each line is 8-10 syllables long. The first and third lines of the first stanza become refrains that repeat throughout the poem. Here is an original villanelle by staff member Lauren Hall.   Shadow of the Ring by LT Hall The mists are fading into spring; along the meadows, caves, and streams where the moon is shrouded by the Ring. Eagles soar low…continue reading →

Sonnet – Meet My Nemesis

The sonnet is one of the most used forms of classical poetry. Rooted in Italian, this 14-line poetic form has a strong presence in English too. The sonnet uses iambic pentameter (a fancy way of saying 10 syllables in a structured rhythm per line) and a specific rhyme scheme. The sonnet below is an original Italian, or Petrarchan, sonnet by staff member Rebeca Parrott. The end lines follow this rhyme pattern: abba, abba, cdecde. Meet My Nemesis by Rebeca Parrott How fearful is the sonnet, wielding life and death (as metaphors) in fourteen…continue reading →