Poetry Guide for Families to Use as Meditation, Teaching, or Reflection

Whether you consider yourself a poet or not, many poets write about their children or family situations due to the emotions connected with such relationships. When going through tough times, some people write poetry to express themselves while others read poetry to help themselves reflect. This article features elements of poetry that focus on children or family to help guide a family through the poetic world.

Mother's Day and Father's Day Poetry
The Hallmark company, among others, have made Mother's and Father's Day into huge card selling holidays. Inside each card is a poem trying to best capture the essence of a parent's relationship with their kids. Not all "good" poetry needs to be published work, however. In fact, several authors on Associated Content from Yahoo! specialize in writing this type of poetry. Some of the more famous Mother's Day or Father's Day poems on that site are "Mother's Day Poems from a Daughter: Mom These are for You" by Bridgitte Williams and "Father's Day Poetry: A Rhyme for Father" by Zachary Fenell. They are excellent examples of poetic tributes to the loved ones who raised them.

Helping Others Create a Family Related Poem
Several articles exist on Associated Content from Yahoo! about how to create your own poetry. A great example to help children write a traditional poem is "Helping a Child Write a Mother's Day Poem" by Tony J. Sometimes generating a poem helps deal with grief. Writing a poem memorializing a loved family member helps a person even if ever so slightly. It helps him or her recall good moments spent with that person. In addition, they can go back and read the memorial poem whenever they feel down. For detailed advice on writing memorial poetry visit "How to Write a Memoriam Poem" by Carrie Mullins.

A Mom's Memories Haiku Series
Poetry can also capture family events like a snapshot of a moment in time. Using a haiku is a simple, quick format as well as a growing trend in the poetry world. The haiku is a simple poem style, with various rules, but the most common of which is a 7-5-7 syllabic pattern. In the haiku a message is conveyed while trying to evoke emotion connected with the topic. I have published on Associated Content from Yahoo! a series of haiku featuring a mom's perspective of her family called "A Mom's Memories Haiku Series." Each poem is supplemented by a photograph to better illustrate the poem. Including poems and their associated photos into a family tree album could eventually become a piece of Americana and a family heirloom.

Poetry as a Healing Agent
Every family goes through turbulent times at some point in its development. Since individuals comprise a family, having family members use poetry as a therapeutic process can sometimes help. Exploring one's thoughts and feelings is a reflective process that some people have difficulty doing. Writing poetry can help him or her discover themselves and hence improve family relations with better communication. For more information about using poetry as a therapeutic process can be found in "DIY Poetry Therapy" written by ADSpencer.

Because some people steer clear of writing poetry for others to read, it may be a good strategy for them to write poetry in private, like in a journal or diary. This way authors do not need to be self-conscious about their word choices or spelling. Over time, he or she may actually gain enough confidence to share their work with others.

Do you write poetry? Which of these aspects of poetry do you connect with? Please leave a comment below.

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