Poetry is discovery

I did not believe the effect that the written word could have on the mind and spirit until I sat in on a scheduled Reader Group, a little over 12 months ago. It is a simple, but not simplistic group. A poem, chosen by the host, the Reader Leader (a trained volunteer), is read out loud to a small group of attendees. Each leader scans the text, searching for pulse points with which to draw their audience in, and the magic of this group lies there, in the text.

This sitting motivated me to become a Reader Leader, and now I can witness our Circles Connected group members minds being opened weekly to possibility through prose. At first this opening of mind was gentle, a subtle breeze that blew our thoughts to a land of memory and imagination. As we get to know each other, the awakening grows and we open our hearts, minds and heads to poetry and possibility.

Over the last few weeks something wonderful has started to happen. As we have chatted, group members shared their favourite quotes, experiences with creative writing and even an illustration, all inspired by the text. So, from here we will extend our minds further to new elements of our Circles Connected group, exploring an inspired session. This will follow on from our shared reading, where group members can contribute any form of creativity that the text has stirred within them.  And we continue to be led by the guiding principles for Community Circles, a focus on those things that matter to people, and continuous support for them to have more meaningful connections.

As I ponder on how we have grown and opened ourselves up to possibility, I leave you now with this quote from poet Emily Dickinson, “If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry”. Could not have put it better myself….

#CirclesConnected #SharedReading #ReaderLeaders #connecting #community