Why poems are not to be feared

Poetry can be a refuge.

Do you read poetry?

This is a question I often ask. Sometimes out loud, sometimes quietly in my mind. The answers vary, but they all have one thing in common:

"I can't really get a grip on the poems."

I have heard this many times. Poetry seems strange or difficult to many people. Their language doesn't open up, the verses flow strangely, the meaning is difficult to grasp. Reading poetry can feel like trying to solve a riddle whose answer is lost or was never given.

I understand very well. At school we were taught to read poetry "correctly". We have been taught to interpret, to look for metaphors and hidden meanings, to reflect on the poet's background and the depth of the message. The poem has become a test that you can either get right or wrong.

But what if the whole idea is wrong?

Poems do not have to open with reason

I have tried to encourage. I've said that you don't need to understand poetry. You don't need to know what the poet was thinking when he wrote. You don't have to interpret correctly. You don't have to know.

It's enough to know.

It's enough to read and stop at something - a rhythm, a word, a mood.

It is enough to let oneself experience: joy, sadness, admiration, affection, longing, anger, irritation or even disgust.

Anything goes. Nothing is wrong.

Poems do not need explanations. They offer a space in which you can feel without having to put everything into words or reason it all out immediately. They can be a refuge, a stopping place, a bounce, a turn or a window.

Poetry supports mental health

Research and experts show that poetry is not just an art form - it is also a mental health resource. Poetry can support you in a difficult life situation, help you express your feelings and, at its best, give you hope.

Reading and writing poetry can bring meaning and support to your life. They can help you structure your own feelings in a clearer way. Poetry can also help you reach and articulate your own feelings and important values," says psychologist Mia Öblom in an article published on the Mieli ry website. article on the website.

"By reading and writing poems, you can work on a theme that is important to you, such as grief, illness or childhood memories."

Poetry is a gentle companion. It does not press, it does not demand. It listens and whispers. It opens the door even when words are lost. Reading and writing poetry is for everyone.

Poetry is not a delicacy for the few

This idea appeals to me enormously. That poetry is not a delicacy for the few. That it need not be difficult or distant. That it can be a cup of coffee in the morning sun or the glow of street lamps on a rainy street. That you and I are worthy of a poem.

And that's why it's important to remember that there are so many different kinds of poetry. If the new experimental poetry seems alien to you, read children's poems or song lyrics, Anna Elina Isoaro, Harri Hertell, Risto Rasa, Arja Tiais, Edith Södergran, Eino Leino. I am sure you will find at least one poet who is just right for you.

Besides: many people think poetry is just rhyming or playing with words and verses on paper - but it is much more than that. 

It is a performing art: a lavarunous art that combines traditional poetry, song lyrics, rap, storytelling, comedy or even play fragments. It can be visual poetry, where verses form shapes or images, such as the wings of a bird or the silhouette of a wine bottle. It can be sound - poetry without words, just rhythm and soundscapes. Or digital, interactive, mobile and experimental - poetry that is read like a computer game, moving and shaping the words themselves. 

Just think what poetry can do! If anything, poetry is limited only by the imagination, if even that..

What if you tried it yourself?

Which poem has touched you most recently?

If you don't remember or haven't found your own poem yet, that's OK. Maybe it's just around the corner. Maybe you'll find it today, maybe tomorrow.

Or maybe you write it yourself.

I encourage you to enter the world of poetry, even if a little cautiously. Poems don't bite. But they can stroke, shake, wake, nurture - and stay.

And don't be afraid. The poem does carry.

PS. In May I will organise a two-part poetry workshop in Espoo, where we will get to know poems by reading, listening and writing. You are warmly welcome to join us.