Poetry in Motion

The following poem was written by 20th century poet, Anne Sexton, who actually took up writing upon the advice of her therapist:

The Fury Of Rainstorms

The rain drums down like red ants,
each bouncing off my window.
The ants are in great pain
and they cry out as they hit
as if their little legs were only
stitched on and their heads pasted.
And oh they bring to mind the grave,
so humble, so willing to be beat upon
with its awful lettering and
the body lying underneath
without an umbrella.
Depression is boring, I think
and I would do better to make
some soup and light up the cave.

When you're taking on depression, finding ways to cope can be difficult, but oftentimes writing out your feelings can make a world of difference it can be the emotional equivalent of making soup and lighting up the cave.

You can keep the poems in a personal notebook or diary, or you could even take it a step further and post them online on sites like www.mentalhealthpoetry.org or www.poemsabout.com. You'll even be able to find other aspiring poets who are going through a similar experience.

Has writing poetry helped you deal with your depression?