Poetry Therapy at Emirates Literature Festival 2013

Bringing Poetry Therapy to the Emirates Literature Festival in Dubai was such a joy. It was wonderful to spend the day in Dubai among books, authors, publishers and friends.

This year I had decided that I wanted to bring more than just a poetry recital to the Literature Festival. I wanted to bring the concept of Poetry Therapy to those who attended and I also wanted to let everyone experience it first hand.

I talked about Poetry Therapy and some of the teachings of Poetic Medicine Institute. I talked about how there is no right or wrong, it is only the idea of letting feelings come out on to the paper. The idea for me is that any blank piece of paper is an invitation. An invitation for you to write images and feelings that come to you.

I read one of the poems from one of my class mates at the Institute of Poetic medicine and used her poem as a prompt and then asked others to write from the prompt.

Here is the poem:

WINDOWS

All I want is a window

A window of my very own

All I want is a window

A window to look out into the world

A window to look deeply into the soul

All I want is a window

A window to sit in front of and dream

A window to sit in front of and create

A window to sit in front of and write

All I want is a window

A window open and wide to possibilities

A window open and wide to hopes

A window open wide to prospects

A window open wide to opportunities

All I want is a window

A window framed by peace

A window fabricated by joy

A window bordered by freedom

A window surrounded by grace

A window constructed by love

All I want is a window
A window that will allow me to see many visions

A window that will allow me to hear many voices

A window that will allow me to taste many delicacies

A window that will allow me to feel many touches

A window that will allow me to smell many aromas

A window that will allow me to imagine a new way of being in a new world

All I want is a window

A window through which I can leap

A window through which I can fly

A window through which I can soar

All I want is a window….

-Trina-Leshay Johnson

I invite you to write at this time with this poem as a prompt….

The prompt line being All I want is a window…..

Just let your ideas flow on the paper. Take 5 to 7 minutes to write… and then if possible read what you have just written to a person close to you or someone you would feel comfortable sharing with .

From this prompt at the Literature Festival everyone in the room wrote. The youngest was a seven-year old girl and the eldest an elderly lady, who wrote her poem in Arabic. Some of the people shared what they wrote, and it was intriguing as always to see what people write. What each window into life offers….

The first person that shared was the

seven-year old girl…. She wrote:

All I needed is a window to gaze out and think about life…… 

A few other people also shared some powerful pieces.

Here a is piece Usama Zafar wrote and shared with me on face book a day after:

Microsoft ruined it for me,
An object once used to look out, aspire
Is where most of my issues transpire
Blue screens, shatter dreams,
All i need is a window,
To a world without bugs!

Another friend Mahmoud Farsiani that shared his on Facebook with me:

All I need is a window, That’s all.
A window which is wide and tall
A window which opens to a solid wall
Hanging on which there is a blank canvas, a brush and paint
For me to paint my Utopia.

All I want is a window. That’s cool! 
A window which abides by the prevailing rule: 
Just show what I want to see, rather than reality,
Which is so vicious and cruel.

This is what I wrote:

All I need is a window A window not to show me tomorrow

but only allow me to be here and now

All I need is a window to Breathe in and Breathe out

To step into the river of life and take flight

Thanks to all those who came and made the event a wonderful one. Thanks for my friends who came to support me and I think had fun writing too: ) . Thanks to a friend who made a beautiful sketch of me while talking: Atul Panase, you are a true artist and a beautiful listener.

Emma Stansfield, as usual a pleasure having your musical notes filling the air, space and soul.

Thanks to Lara Matossian-Roberts for organizing the wonderful part of Emirates Literature Festival called Fringe promoting the work of local artists.