Poetic relief National Poetry Month highlights poets at FHS Madelyn Lerew
F
rom Shakespeare to Dickinson, poetry captures the imagination and hearts of people all around the world. April is national poetry month, which was first celebrated in 1996 when the Academy of American Poets brought it into existence. FHS has numerous poets, each of whom uses their unique experiences to write. “When there’s something big happening in my life, I tend to find more inspiration, whether it’s a good thing in my life or something I’m struggling with,” sophomore Emory Carmona said. Junior Thu-Hang Doan instead prefers to write poetry based on experiences throughout their life. An example is a poem by Doan named Pantone. “‘Pantone,’ the word itself, is the name of the color matching system,” Doan said. “What it’s about is colorism and growing up with East Asian beauty standards, because there’s always a pressure to have paler skin and lighter skin.” Writing poems based on personal experience can lead to a deeper meaning and depth to the lines as opposed to something observable, like nature. This can be an example of poetry therapy, which has been shown to help improve people’s mental health. “When I was a kid, I used a lot of bleaching products on myself and it stung and it didn’t work,” Doan said. “There was a lot of inner hatred that I grew up with, and insecurity. When I reflect on
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that I think of how young I was and how difficult that was to deal with at a young age.” Finding inspiration is only the beginning of the process; putting thoughts into words is the next step. The process of writing poems differs from poet to poet. “Usually, I write them [poems] all at once, maybe a couple at a time,” junior Bugs Smith said. “I then take a break for a month or two and then I start all over again and keep writing.” While some choose this allor-nothing approach to writing, others space it out over a longer period of time. “I sit down and either jot ideas down on paper or I have a word document on my laptop,” Carmona said. “I put down everything that’s on my mind and then eventually I’ll sort it out and make it into a poem.” Famous poets can serve as inspiration by showing what can become of dedicated writers. Doan, Smith and Carmona’s favorite poets are Arpi Park, Mary Oliver and Reuben Holmes respectively. Writing and reading poetry can also improve your mood according to the National Library of Medicine. While some may not view reading Shakespeare in English class as the most exciting activity, writing poetry can be enjoyable. “I feel more productive when I write, like I got something done in a healthy way,” Smith said. “It gets you off your phone and you’re actually creating
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something, not just scrolling on TikTok.” Feeling productive and creative is one major benefit of writing poetry. Reading poetry can lead to things like the improvement of your mood throughout the day. “Poetry, even if it is a sad poem overall, is something that can make you feel better in a way,” Carmona said. “Being able to read a poem and understand what a person is thinking makes me feel proud and understood.”
April 2022
