In one of the poetry groups that I follow on Facebook, a fellow member made a comment that poetry is best read out aloud or listened to, especially when the poets read from their own work.

I have been writing poetry since I first started to write and I used to read a considerable amount of poetry until a few years ago. I stopped writing poetry a few years ago, when I realised that I needed a lot more study and knowledge of the art form if I were to do it properly. Reading poetry seemed more appropriate in a state of stillness, which seemed to be becoming scarce in the frenzy of the corporate world.

For the past few weekends, I have been reading poetry again. Have been addicted to the Poetry archive website for the past few weekends.

I was drenched in the quiet, elegant poems of Jane Draycott.
http://www.poetryarchive.org/poem/pass
http://www.poetryarchive.org/poem/no-3-uses-thames

I wandered through the words and worlds of new poets and listened to old favourites, the images thrown up by the lines coming back home to the mind like dear old friends. Helen Dunmore, Carol Ann Duffy, Simon Armitage, Mimi Khalvati…

http://www.poetryarchive.org/poem/city-lilacs
http://www.poetryarchive.org/poem/name
http://www.poetryarchive.org/poem/youre-beautiful
http://www.poetryarchive.org/poem/ghazal

And for fun, replayed once again Dahl’s deliciously revolting rhyme
http://www.poetryarchive.org/poem/little-red-riding-hood-and-wolf

All of which brought the realisation that just as stillness is becoming to the pleasure of reading verse, so does reading poetry confer a deep sense of stillness in the mind.