Daily Dose from the Poetry Pharmacy

By Fran Withrow 04.2020

 It is our lot as humans to face challenging situations throughout our lives. We all experience loneliness, self-doubt, despair, guilt, and grief.  Dealing with hardships can be tough, and while there are many ways to tackle difficulty, William Sieghart has one novel suggestion: read a poem.

William Sieghart grew up in London and found solace in poetry as a boy. As an adult, poetry continued to bring meaning to his life. After a friend heard him speak at a literary festival in Cornwall in 2014, she suggested he prescribe poems to festival goers who were going through rough times. She set him up with a couple of chairs, invited people to talk with him about their problems, and let him suggest an appropriate poem for their situation.  

The session was a hit, and thus was born the Poetry Pharmacy, which Seighart took to radio, television, as well as to festivals and libraries. People were eager to hear how poetry could help them deal with their problems, and Sieghart was happy to offer his prescriptions.

Sieghart has collected 74 of his favorite poems, addressing plethora of common struggles, resulting in this lovely little book, “The Poetry Remedy.” 

Each poem is prefaced with a thoughtful commentary that not only sheds lights on the subject, but also adds an added layer of meaning to the poem.  I was delighted to read many familiar and beloved poems, and equally happy to meet some which were new to me.

I knew I would like this book with Sieghart’s very first selection, a poem he chose for those suffering anxiety (in other words, almost all of us at one time or another). Wendell Berry’s “The Peace of Wild Things” is a perfect antidote for those times when the stress of life seems overwhelming. Sieghart has poems for just about everything you can imagine: insecurity, procrastination, illness, lack of motivation, even for times we have made an embarrassing gaffe. 

There are some situations I would never have thought a poem could address. Hafiz, a 14th century Persian poet, offers a way to live with those who are different from ourselves. What a great offering during this time when bipartisanship seems like a pipe dream and when racism and other types of discrimination continue to rear their ugly heads.

Readers can find help for everything from infatuation (oh, those heartbreaking high school days), to divorce and losing loved ones.  In the back of the book is an index of conditions, so whether you are dealing with aging parents or feeling inadequate as a parent yourself, you can quickly find a poem to read.  To list the poets featured in this anthology is to eagerly anticipate reading from some poetic giants: Billy Collins, Maya Angelou, Rumi, Pablo Naruda, Naomi Shihab Nye, and (my poetic hero) Mary Oliver. You just can’t go wrong with this helpful book. Find a copy.  Set it by your bed. Read one poem every night for whatever is ailing you. While there is no such thing as a quick fix, a daily dose from the Poetry Pharmacy may be just what the doctor ordered.

“The Poetry Remedy: Prescriptions for the Heart, Mind, and Soul”

by William Sieghart

Viking Press

224 pages

$20.00