One of my favorite quotes is this:
It is difficult to get the news from poems
Yet men die miserably every day for lack of what is found there.
-William Carlos Williams
I often think of poets as the cheerleading companions of soul. I suppose it’s related to the types of poetry I like, and yet still it seems to me that the job of the poet is to bring light to topics that could otherwise go overlooked, and yet are essential to the soul’s satisfaction. Poets make words dance out of their usually carefully strung out phrases of mundaneness. “Honey, can you take out the garbage?” Or, “We need eggs from the store.” They bring us back to what it means to be human, and to feel, and to be aware of that which is blessedly, joyously surrounding us—be it a sensation or an object. They connect us with each other for a moment as we experience a shared sigh, over the emotion or experience the poet has brought to the fore.
This true love and appreciation of poetry is what calls us at the Big Joy project to do this one poetic practice: Ninety-five percent of our meetings are started with a poem– read aloud. Sometimes it’s chosen ahead of time, something that one of us came across recently, or it’s picked at random from books of poetry we keep on hand just for this purpose. It’s a practice that Stephen Silha adheres to almost religiously, even when I’m all set to “Did you contact so and so?” And one that I appreciate with my whole being.
Why?
First and foremost, because who doesn’t benefit from more poetry in their life? And, that is sometimes hard to remember. I love moments when I am just spontaneously able to insert poetry into the process of living. I wish I remembered to do it more.
Stephen loves it because he feels it brings us into a spirit of creating, and of being that might otherwise have been lost in getting straight away to, “Did you send that email?”
Even if it’s just for a moment, it’s a lovely tone to set to our workspace.
You don’t have to be a poet to make this work for you. You may have to set a reminder for yourself, or get into the practice, but seriously, it’s the best! All that is required is a book of poems. Pick it up. Open at random, read. Sigh happily… Move on to your email list.
If you need a suggestion right off the bat, my personal favorite is James Broughton’s book Packing up for Paradise. I love it because it is a compendium of sorts, it covers the gamut of what he offers as a poet: from silliness, to love, to Zen, to spiritual, with a bit of eroticism thrown in too. You can also search our site for “poem” and read the collection of Broughton poems we’ve already blogged. We’ve got plenty of poetic bits posted on our Pinterest Page which we continue to update. Or if you’re keen on adding a few more poets to your repertoire, we’ll be posting a list soon of other spectacular poets whose work is resonant with Broughton’s.
If you decide to start this practice, or already do something like it, we’d love to hear from you! Let us know… who are your favorites? Do you do this at work? What is your favorite place to insert poetry into your life?
— Aimee Cartier, Associate Producer