Abstract
In the fall of 2017 as a chaplain intern working in a hospital setting, I started reading poems to patients and families with the hope that language could offer a buffer to suffering, a meditative space to slow down time and hear the comforting sound of language. This article contains stories of the power of poetry to nourish, nurture and connect with individuals facing darkness, doubt and vulnerability.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.Beal, T. (2018). “Why Read Poetry.” Retrieved from https://case.edu/firstyear/sites/case.edu.firstyear/files/2018-08/Why%20Read%20Poetry_818.pdf .
2.Chödrön, P. (2016). When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times . Boulder, CO: Shambhala Press .
3.Clifton, L. (1991). “blessing the boats.” The Collected Poems of Lucille Clifton . Rochester, NY: BOA Editions .
4.Gilbert, J. (2012). “Island and Figs.” Collected Poems . New York, NY: Knopf .
5.Hammad, S. (2016). “Talisman.” Retrieved from https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/talisman-6/ .
6.Harjo, J. (1996).“Perhaps the World Ends Here.” The Woman Who Fell from the Sky . New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company .
7.Nye, N. S. (1995). “Kindness.” Words Under the Words . Portland, OR: Far Corner Books .
8.O’Donohue, J. (2010). “Beannacht.” Echoes of Memory . London, UK: Transworld Publishing .
9.Olds, S. (2016). “Ode to Dirt.” Odes . New York, NY: Knopf .
10.Oliver, M. (2007). “Everything.” New and Selected Poems: Volume 2 . Boston, MA: Beacon Press .
11.Oliver, M. (2017). “Wild Geese.” Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver . London, UK: Penguin Press .
12.Ó Tuama, Pádraig. (2019). “Makebelieve.” https://poets.org/poem/makebelieve .
13.Remen, R. N. (2018). “On Being.” From an Interview by Krista Tippett on November 11. Retrieved from https://onbeing.org/programs/rachel-naomi-remen-the-difference-between-fixing-and-healing-nov2018/ .
14.Strand, M. (1998). “ The Art of Poetry No. 77.” From an Interview by Wallace Shawn. The Paris Review. Issue 148, Fall 1998 .
15.Wallcott, D. (1987). “Love After Love.” Collected Poems, 1948–1984 . New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux .
