Poems for what ails you: The Poetry Remedy edited by William Sieghart

The Poetry Remedy: Prescriptions for the Heart, Mind, and Soul by [Sieghart, William]What a lovely compilation of poems!  Organized by what may ail you, for example, anxiety, depression, old age, loneliness, pessimism, etc., there is then a corresponding poem.  Under Fear of Death, for instance, there is a beautiful poem by my favorite poet, Mary Oliver.  Some of the other poets found in the book include Wendell Berry, Rudyard Kipling and Ha Jin.  Some of the poets I know while others, I don’t.   I do recognize the emotions though.  I want to say that I felt better after reading some of these poems, not worse lest you think this book will be too gloomy.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Truly a marvelous collection . . . There is balm for the soul, fire for the belly, a cooling compress for the fevered brow, solace for the wounded, an arm around the lonely shoulder—the whole collection is a matchless compound of hug, tonic and kiss.”
—Stephen Fry

“The book is delightful; it rightly resituates poetry in relation to its biggest and most serious task: helping us to live and die well.”
—Alain de Botton

“Healing for the heart and soul. I keep my copy with the brandy and aspirin.”
—Jeanette Winterson, author of Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit

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