How Assisting Hands® Caregivers Help Seniors During Winter
Winter brings unique challenges for seniors, from icy sidewalks to shorter days that can make getting out and about more…
There are so many different kinds of poetry: some rhyme, some are short; some take time, some help court.
If you just look for it, there is a lot of really good poetry out there, and there is a large variety of it. With a little something for everyone, it’s pretty easy to find some poetry that will be a good fit for you.
But what’s the point? You can sit and read just about any kind of book or story you want. What’s the difference with poetry?
What is it?
A bunch of words put together to make rhythm? Maybe. But it’s not always structured the same way with the same language structure,
Put simply, “poetry is a type of literature, or artistic writing, that attempts to stir a reader’s imagination or emotions. The poet does this by carefully choosing and arranging language for its meaning, sound, and rhythm” (Britannica).
Poetry can be in stories, love notes, speeches, songs, greeting cards; it’s virtually everywhere. It helps us understand our emotions in a unique way that we may not be able to easily do otherwise. It helps us feel words in a very deep part of ourselves.
Why is it good for your brain?
Studies have been done on poetry to determine how it affects the brain and whether it’s different than listening to music or watching films. One study found that heart rate increased when individuals listened to poetry compared to other mediums, and they slowly built up goosebumps as they listened.
Other studies have shown that the right-brain benefits from reading poetry and allows the listener or reader to be more open to new perspectives, and it’s even been shown that our brains are actually hardwired for poetry and can recognize poetic harmony without any training or experience.
How can you get more poetry in your life?
There’s poetry everywhere, and some people read or listen to it every day, while others haven’t uttered a single word of it since their high school Emily Dickinson class.
Aside from listening to music or reading greeting cards, there are plenty of ways to add a little poetry into your everyday life.
Whichever way that you choose to get poetry, let it take over your brain and be the most beneficial it can be for you each and every time you read it or listen to it!
Enjoy!
FIREFLY
By Author, David Ben Foster
Enough light
flickering tiny flashes in a darkening world
minding its own existence
but acting as though it struggles to remain aloft
in a vast space of predators
with social instincts aglow in a habitat
vulnerable to various deaths:
caught in beaks or mouths, or
safely placed in a jar to shine unsteadily to dust.
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