“Poetry is a life-cherishing force. For poems are not words, after all, but fires for the cold, ropes let down to the lost, something as necessary as bread in the pockets of the Hungry. Yes indeed.”— Mary Oliver
These words by Oliver are a little bit of the gold that I’ve found in Kim Rosen’s book,Saved By a Poem: The Transformative Power of Words. Rosen makes a passionate case for poetry as the voice of the soul and her work is the inspiration behind this program.
There are two central ideas in Saved By A Poem that I’d like to share:
• a poem can be a valuable companion through many life experiences
• you don’t have to write your own poems to find some that you can make your own.
In this program I am joined by Brenda Littleton, Artemis Robison, Constance Walsh, and Diane Squire. Each of them has a poem to share with you along with a bit of background about why the poem is meaningful to them.
from
About Poetry and Poets,
released August 29, 2015
Bren Littleton is a therapist based in archetypal and depth psychology, and often calls upon poetry for therapeutic interventions. A retired professor of graduate writing, she relishes in the understanding of the personal mytho-poesis connection between the cosmos and one’s soul. She has a private practice in Joshua Tree, and provides trauma-focused counseling for Unity Home domestic violence clients. Bren is reading “Sweet Darkness, Sweet Darkness” by David Whyte.
Artemis Robison is a performing songwriter and artist who recently moved to Joshua Tree from the Bay area. She is associated with RTFM, a collective of artists and musicians who share an adventurous desire to explore and synthesize new musical ground. Her new CD, Triptych III (10 for Magpie’s Secret Bliss) and her other music is available at
artemis.bandcamp.com. Artemis is reading “The Seventh Elegy” from the Duino Elegies by Ranier Maria Rilke.
Constance Walsh is a multi-faceted artist and entrepreneur. She spent her first thirty years abroad, her second in Pioneertown, and is working on her third in JoshuaTree where the creative life abounds. Constance is reading an excerpt of a Sufi poem titled “Pir Oveyssi” by Molana-al-Moazam Hazrat Shah Maghsoud Sadegh Angha.
Diane Squire is the principal at DJSquire Designs, offering digital design services for Landscape Architects & Contractors, Designers, and Homeowners. Diane is reading “Full Moon” from a collection of Chinese poetry.