Why Poetry?
Recently, someone asked me why I was writing poetry...again...for the 30 Poems in November challenge. First and foremost, poetry has been a lifeline for me since childhood. Poetry allowed me to find beauty amidst poverty, disease, and abuse. With poetry, I could dive down the rabbit hole with the like of Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, and Edna St. Vincent Millay to cavort with language that painted pictures in ways that gave voice to the fear and longings I had. My second thought when asked why I would get up early each morning to write a poem based on a prompt someone has sent me was, "Why not?" Writing stimulated the brain, which is something scientist are now telling those over sixty is very important for their mental health. Writing helps to de-stress you, lowering your blood pressure and activating the hormones that help to keep you healthy. As you can see my first two reason are very selfish, but I am not only thinking of myself when I write. I am thinking of my stud