Saved by a Poem: The Transformative Power of Words

Do you kind of like poetry? Do you despise poetry with all your being? Either way, I urge you to check out this unique new book by Kim Rosen. I'm still reading and savoring the book on my Kindle. [The book-book comes with a CD, and the ebook reputedly also includes audio downloads(?) which I need to figure out how to access. This audio component features the author and others sharing favorite poems.] Not your preferred way to spend a Saturday night? I guess you must have missed that great Saturday-night show on HBO with Russell Simmons and Spike Lee which grew out of the Brooklyn poetry slams. (I absolutely must interject here that the poetry slam concept actually originated in my home town, Chicago -- which has also been home to the Poetry Foundation since 1912.) Rosen says we place way too much emphasis on trying to understand poetry, analyzing it to death. She maintains that poetry truly comes alive in the body and thus in the soul. The idea is to find a poem that speaks to you deeply and take it into yourself, make it part of your breathing and blood-flow and innards -- your dancing, your journey, your quest for healing. She says that poetry can heal us. She won't get any argument from me. But don't worry that her suggestions have anything to do with the old stuff, the rote memorization we may have been assigned in elementary school. She counsels a whole other way of getting into a poem and letting it into you, and she predicts that it will change you. I can personally attest to the truth of that assertion. Other cultures know all this already -- way better than we do out here in the ad-glutted, mall-ridden, frenetically monetized U.S. of A. I don't have a viable theory as to why we are so conflicted about poetry, why some of us are positively repulsed by it and plenty of us never think about it or go near it if we can help it. By way of contrast, Rosen recounts that in 2006, in the heart of Baghdad and in the midst of frightening clashes and terrifying explosions, a thousand people -- both Sunni and Shiite -- came together in a gigantic tent to share poetry, to dance, and to weep together. Soldiers from both militias ended up joining in and volunteering to guard the premises. The first such gathering was followed by many others. Poetry broke down the barriers between the factions and became a powerful force for peace. It satisfied some fierce craving people may not even have known they had -- some urgent need that seems increasingly endemic to all of this earth, to all of humanity, even if some of us do not yet realize just what it is we are thirsting for down here in the depths of ourselves. Also, according to Rosen, "in many parts of Latin America, Ireland, and the Middle East . . . it is not unusual for spoken poetry to be heard as part of everyday conversations." According to her students from Ireland, people in that land routinely share poetry by W.B. Yeats or Dylan Thomas well into the night at the neighborhood pub. She also notes that in Iran, poets are national heroes -- and that in Israel, fans line up in the bookstores of Tel Aviv for a new volume of poetry the way they do here for a best-selling vampire novel. In the Middle East there is one TV channel devoted exclusively to poetry -- inspired by the most popular prime-time program in the region, a kind of poetry recitation contest along the lines of "American Idol" which has more viewers than news or sports. Closer to home, some 90 miles off the coast of Florida, Cubans spray-paint walls with the lyrics of Spanish poet Antonio Machado. It is difficult to summarize this wonderful book in a brief review, or to distill its major points. The author has spent years studying and teaching poetry as a pathway to spiritual healing, and she has so very much to say on the subject. She shares her own experiences of darkness and despair, relating how bringing poetry alive within herself brought everything else into alignment -- how a true encounter with poetry, a long love affair with a special poem, can strip a human being down to her authentic self; can nudge, seduce, or wrench her from her abyss of suffering and stuckness: instilling in her or restoring to her a sense of oneness with everyone else and with all creation; reshaping her into a formidable force for mentoring others and repairing the earth. Rosen provides clear guidelines for doing this -- for adopting a poem and taking it to heart, living with it and nurturing it and letting it sing in your blood and bones. These are really very practical and comprehensible instructions, although I realize that in my enthusiasm, I may sound rather mystical or oody-doody about the whole thing. This path is really not some esoteric byway of civilization. It is a road well-traveled by millions of our forbears and contemporaries, surprising as this may seem. One culture after another has cherished poetry profoundly, regarding it as a vehicle of ecstatic celebration or quiet consolation; has found it medicinal, therapeutic, transformative. Even prehistorically, some scientists postulate, Neanderthal peoples first spoke to one another not in prose, but in a language which resembled a kind of poem, or poem-song. As one might expect, the author scatters various poems throughout the book, including some of my own all-time favorites. If any specific quotation may conceivably deliver her message "in a nutshell," it is these lines from the physician-poet William Carlos Williams: It is difficult to get the news from poems yet men die miserably every day for lack of what is found there.

Kim Rosen suggests that poems are prayers--of joy, pain, love, wonder, wisdom--and to recite a poem from memory is food for the spirit. I bought the book last week and have begun to take poems to heart by memory and it has been, truly, a transformative experience. Kim suggests that a poem that speaks to you, when taken to heart, will continue to reveal truths over time...and my short experience with this process makes me realize I might have healed more quickly in difficult times if I had opened myself up to poetry in the past. Too often I have felt I couldn't relate to poetry and Kim's reflections make me wonder whether I erred on the side of analytical interpretation rather than acceptance--certainly hearing a poem spoken out loud makes a huge difference. She shares her own personal stories of how poems have shaped her life, provided insight at crucial moments, and turned her from deep depression. A whole chapter on practices on how to take a poem to heart is helpful. The CD is a gift beyond words--poems spoken by poets who then share what the poem means to them, with the lovely music of Jamie Sieber's cello in the background. I recommend this book wholeheartedly with great joy...and hope to gather a circle of friends to share poems with each other--to celebrate, to ponder, to connect closer to each other--we are even considering a conference via Skype from around the world. What a wonderful gift for yourself or a friend.

I've have (and have loved) this book for many, many years. It is beautifully written and inspired a love of poetry in me! That said, I am absolutely THRILLED to now have the audio, as well. It is read by the author and I always especially appreciate that so I can feel connected by listening to her voice. I am a huge fan of Kim Rosen — have attended her Poetry Dives and am taking her course, "Death's Door: Undefended at the Threshold," so this new audio book is such a treat. I love to close my eyes before bed and listen as a form of meditation before sleep. I am re-inspired to learn poems by heart! Thank you to Kim Rosen for all the work that went into this.

Excellent book. I was disappointed it did NOT come with a cd like the book I had ordered several years ago. There is directions for a download, but I have npt figured out how to do that yet.

This book should be required reading in high schools or colleges before the classics are forced down our throats. It really opens up your mind to understand the power of poetry to heal and transform your mind and your life. Kim writes from a deep place of knowing after having lived and learned the lessons she is imparting in the book. While reading it, I was inspired to start memorizing poems that touched me, and finding more of them. What totally surprised me was how easy it was to memorize them after taking Kim's advice to heart. I had always felt that I was no good at memorizing anything. I even bought a huge book of poems that came with 3 cd's of poets reading their own work; it really is so much easier to get the magic of poetry when you hear it spoken. "Saved by a Poem" has helped to start a new cycle of transformation in my life; it has opened me up to looking at things from new and exciting angles. Thank you Kim!

If you didn't get the CD in the hard copy, know that you can access the bonus content with the Kindle book. It's $1.99 right now. When I originally bought it used, I didn't realize there was supposed to be a CD included. So when I saw the link, I was so excited! This book is fantastic, but the audio content is an experience!

The CD was not with book. It comes with CD. Should have been enclosed. I had also bought it a long time ago

I am so glad I bought this book. It may even have saved my life. Kim has a wonderful, wise and encouraging way of writing. By the time I had finished I was thirsting for more, looking up her Top 50 poems, starting to commit to heart one or two and have joined a local Poetry Circle! Amazing. The CD is lovely to listen to and is permanently on duty in the car.It has made me very mindful of the healing power of poetry and have ventured to give specially chosen ones to friends, who in turn are returning to explore poetry. Do buy it!!

Very good and easy to read

A magical book that sums up how I feel about poetry myself. Grateful to Kim Rosen for so eloquently sharing her words. The audio component is a bonus, and I listen to it time and time again. Just beautiful.

I couldn't put this book down. It's wonderfully written in a very easy to read style and it explains and illustrates how poetry is a beautiful vehicle for our own, inner healing. Anyone interested in healing and especialy if you are a poetry lover too, should read this book. I have followed some of the simple practices this book suggests and have been amazed at the results. Overall a beautiful, gentle and healing read and an exquisite gift to the world.

I enjoy reading and writing poetry and his book gives an different perspective on both. Mostly in the area of apprecaition. Would recommend to anyone how loves poetry or just words!!