Antonia’s recommendation: Why you should try reading poetry.

Poetry is one of those areas that a lot of people decide is not for them, without really trying it. When I was a child, I enjoyed reading ‘A Children’s Treasury of Milligan: Classic Stories and Poems by Spike Milligan’. The poem ‘Hot dog’ was one I really loved and now I have a hot dog of my own, my sausage dog called Remus (who would have thought it).  However, in my teens, I moved away from poetry and I felt very wary about diving back into the world of poetry as an adult.

So, in August I set myself the task of reading more poetry, turning to traditionalists such as Keats (my favourite of his being ‘Ode to Autumn’). I also read non-traditionalists such as Kathleen Jamie. Her collection of essays in ‘Surfacing’ had been so wonderful that I decided to read some of her poetry, which made me miss the landscape of Scotland. By the end of the month, I had read lots of poetry and I decided to keep going. Discovering Allis Esiri’s ‘A Poem For Every Autumn Day’ I now read a new poem every morning in bed with a cup of tea. I find this had not only improved my knowledge of poetry, but it has also improved my mental wellbeing. Starting the day calmly and engaging my brain I feel ready for the day. Additionally, every poem has a small paragraph explaining about the poem and its historical context. This makes the book so worthwhile as it helps me to engage with the poem a lot more than I would have if I simply read the poem and took it no further. As I am now halfway through the book I decided to buy ‘A Poem For Every Day Of The Year’ by Allie Esiri. A perfect gift for a birthday or Christmas as this beautiful edition has a new poem every day. I find myself wanting to rush ahead but so far I have been very good. This edition also comes with a fixed ribbon bookmark so you don’t lose your place.

During times of struggle, it can be nice to turn to poetry. Every poem, whether it be small or large, is a short story full of mystery and wonder that will make your thoughts go elsewhere. I would really recommend trying poetry as part of your daily or weekly routine, even if you only read one, and see how it makes you feel.