Poetry: let’s make it count
by Scarlett Bowcott, Bradfield College
Poems come in all different shapes and sizes - from raps to sonnets, from odes to limericks, from haiku to ballads, some are long, some are short, some rhyme, others don’t. Poems are used all around the world to express how people are feeling and can be a powerful way to communicate. But in a world of hashtags, LOLs, and emojis, what’s the point of poetry?
Every October, children and adults of all ages from across the UK celebrate National Poetry Day, to highlight the impact of poetry on our lives. This year, more than 1.5 million people joined together on Thursday 3rd October to participate in the annual event and share the pleasure of poetry with family and friends.
National Poetry Day was launched in 1994 by the charity Forward Arts Foundation, to encourage people to make, celebrate and share poetry. Each year has a different theme and this year’s was 'Counting'. Previous themes have included refuge, home, the environment, truth and change.
So, what is poetry and why does it matter? Britannica defines poetry as “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.” Poetry is everywhere; it can be found in stories, in love letters, in speeches, songs and greeting cards. It helps us to connect with our emotions and express them in a unique and special way.
Reading poetry has many recognised benefits – it improves verbal skills and critical thinking, develops empathy and insight and encourages creativity. Research has also shown that poetry is good for our brains because it triggers an emotional response like music. MRIs have shown that when we read or listen to poetry, areas in our brain’s right hemisphere, linked to reward and emotion, light up from being activated. Poetry also makes us smarter – it’s not just about reading words, but about understanding the sounds, meanings, and emotions of words, so when our brains put all these things together, brain function peaks, strengthening memory and cognitive health. Poetry can have therapeutic benefits too – helping us to explore our emotions and work through trauma, helping to support the healing process.
Above all, poetry is about imagination. In today’s world, where science and technology dominate the school curriculum, it’s easy for creativity to be sidelined. Yet science and creativity walk hand in hand, and when they work together incredible things can happen. Everything, in order to be, must first be imagined.
All children should learn to read poetry – Roald Dahl, Robert Louis Stevenson and Dr Seuss are good starting points, followed by the great works of Christina Rossetti and Maya Angelou, or my own favourite Gillian Clarke.
Here is my contribution to National Poetry Day, 2024:
Counting
Sunlight on silk; skin satin smooth,
As the seductress beckons.
A canvas of ruby red; ripe and ready,
The tantalising temptress,
Her sinful, smiling blush midst the blossoms,
Hinting at the harvest’s forbidden glory.
Dew droplets in rainbow hues,
Self-important, majestic,
As time stands still.
Here and there, miniature dots bubble up in imperfection.
A tiny, tawny coloured stem stands proud,
Imperious in the centre;
Peeping out to say ‘Hello’,
Its ragged edge the only sign of plucking from the tree.
Sweet, sticky juice seeps from the plump pale flesh,
Peeking through a great cavernous gash
That tears like tissue through the skin
At my first bite.
Slowly counting the seconds till the taste hits my tongue,
As I savour Eve’s apple.
