Poetry can stimulate new ways of thinking. Participants will explore feelings, experiences, and images sparked by poetry and choose an activity to do together.
Choose one of the poems from this collection to share with the group: Poems about Aging
You’ll also need the queries provided in the instructions.
Instructions
Instructions:
Read one of the selected poems. Do one of these activities:
What Do You Notice?
Shorter variations might be: What one phrase or idea sticks out for you? Sit with it for a few minutes and see what rises for you. Now journal/share with a partner.
Art Response
Draw or doodle in response to this text. Allow yourself to be Spirit-led – what color do you want to pick up, and how do you want to use it? This is not art to view. This is exploration and expression. Alternatively, invite participants to make a visual or 3D response to the text using art materials such as clay or play dough, magazines for collage, paint, mural paper, pipe cleaners, objects from nature (acorns, feathers, grasses, flowers, seeds, bark), or building blocks or Legos.
Worship Sharing
Settle into worship and invite participants to speak into the silence and share their thoughts about a query. Craft a query directly related to the text or choose one of the General Questions for Reflection. A more detailed description of worship sharing can be found here.
Additional Materials
Reading List:
Find lots of poems on many subjects by a variety of poets at www.poets.org.
