Praise “Poetry For Peace”

Today marked the last “Poetry for Peace” of the semester and, as Dr. Marina Llorente said, there was a full house!  With the light rain outside, this week’s trend, it was the perfect afternoon to escape the cloudy day blues and gather in Herring-Cole for some poetry.  The room, as always, was filled with welcoming faces, eager to share and eager to listen.  I, myself, was the latter because I enjoy hearing the poetic voices of my fellow students.  I have a small collection of poems that I’ve written, but I never feel ready to expose them to others.  The curse of hesitancy.  But, going to these readings has helped me realize that poetry is not meant to be a group of words sitting on a laptop screen.  Poetry needs to be conveyed aloud and “Poetry for Peace” enables students to read without any inhibitions or doubts.  Some poets admit that their poem is a work in progress or is still “untitled.”  Either way, they will feel the support of their audience as they express their personal lives from back home, their hardships, their perceptions of life, and their fears.  They will be heard and you can be heard too.  All in the name of peace.