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Talking poetry

July 7, 2010 | Leave a Comment

ALZHEIMER’S IS a state of mind, of brain, that some people fear more than death itself – whether for themselves or family, partners. It puts a barrier between what we know of a person and our way of getting to know more of them. It confounds communication, blurs memory, sows confusion, produces apparently inexplicable outbursts, nonsensical pieces of expression. Pieces of seemingly unconnected life experience are tossed the way of the caregivers, lovers, friends. It is, in a bizarre way, the poetry of the mind taken to Dadaism.

So why not use poetry as conduit, bridge, translator?

The Alzheimer’s Poetry Project, founded by New York poet Gary Glazner, is not built on the traditional, stand-at-the-podium-and-read poetry recital. Rather, it uses the simple rhymes typically learned in childhood or whimsical works created on the spot with audience participation. The facilitator moves among the seniors, holding their hands, touching their shoulders, gently prodding them to share their thoughts, reawakening long-ago memories.

“There was a guy in [one] group, his head was down, he wasn’t participating, and I said the Longfellow poem, ‘I shot an arrow in the air…’ ” Glazner says, recalling the initial workshop that spawned the project. “And his eyes suddenly popped open, and he said, ‘It fell to earth, I know not where.’ In that instant, he was back with us and was able to participate. It was very powerful.”

Read the full story.

Find out more about the The Alzheimer’s Poetry Project or buy the anthology, a collection of old favourites from Shakespeare to Coleridge, Sparking Memories.

Image credit

Detail from the banner of The Alzheimer’s Poetry Project


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