Will a Poem a Day Keep the Doctor Away? (by Chris Hwang)

As students, we often hear about the merits of reading but rarely do we hear about the therapeutic benefits of writing? After having written three prior blogs, I can attest to the fact that I always felt liberated, empowered, and invigorated after expressing my thoughts in each of those blogs. I have written about very controversial topics such as excessive testing at school as well as our obsession with metrics. I also wrote about the importance of viewing our world in shades of gray. All three of those blogs entailed plenty of deep thinking, analysis, and reflection. Until now, all of my practice in the written language has been in the form of prose where my ideas are written in straightforward language and in sentences that are arranged into standard paragraphs. As we inch closer to National poetry month (April), I am attempting to expand my repertoire to include verbal expression in poetry form so that I can practice expressing my thoughts in a more condensed fashion while decorating them with comparisons, rhyme, and rhythm. Although there are countless styles of poetry, one thing is for certain. Poetry allows a writer to express thoughts with a different sound and feel than prose. For this blog, I selected a “lighter” topic but one that that is near and dear to my peer students and I as we march onward and forward to the beat of the winter doldrums.

Summer

Today is the day that starts it all

No more studying, no more homework, no more times where your grades may fall

Now that finals are over, you can just sit back and chill

While you watch your dad start up the grill

July is the time to go camping

Rent a kayak, rent a cabin with a bed, wait, that’s really just glamping

It’s the time to roast marshmallows and sit by the fire

As you can see, July isn’t really a month of ire

August is fun, especially at night

Although, it can get annoying when the mosquitos bite

It’s the last month of fun before school starts up

It’s the last time to fill up your cup

September is here and you’re back at school

Missing all the good times you had in the pool

It’s when you start thinking about all the ways

To propel yourself forward by 270 days

According to the advocacy group Americans for the Arts, everyone can benefit from writing poetry whether they want to share it or not since it:  improves cognitive function, helps heal emotional pain, leads us to greater self awareness, provides us with a gift of inspiration or education to others, and helps us celebrate. Did you know that as far back as 4000 BC, early Egyptians wrote words on papyrus, dissolved them in liquid, and gave them to those who were ill as a form of medicine? Thus, the healing effect of poetry has long been recognized from ancient through modern civilizations. We are thankful for the opportunity to Blog it on!