Helped Soften the Strife - Poetry Teatime
Helped Soften the Strife

Helped Soften the Strife

We are spontaneous poetry tea timers, using it as a stop gap on those days where nothing seems to click. It always works. But this particular teatime was really special to me.

On this particular day my parents came over for a visit. For complicated reasons, there has been a bit of strain in the relationship between my daughter and my mother. Because of this I am always looking for relaxing and joyous ways for them to connect. The day was unpleasant outside and the kids were starting to get antsy, so teatime was the logical activity du jour.

We set the table together, lit a candle and started picking poems. Each of us (my dad, mom, son, daughter and me) made selections but my mom and I did all of the read-aloud. After about 10 minutes of this, my 6 (almost 7) yr old daughter Zoey took charge. She made the poetry selections for me, my father and my son and proceeded to read each one aloud herself. This was something she never had done before and certainly never in front of my mom. Surprisingly, the only other person selecting and reading aloud at that point was Grandma. There they were, trading poems, from John Ciardi, Shel Silverstein and Edward Lear. 


The rest of us simply sat listening to their recitations that were delivered with giggles and pride. I had not seen my daughter and mother delight in each other this way in well over a year. I was so happy and touched and excited and full of love.

Poetry Teatime can really be special that way, there's no other way to say it. It has brought us an intimacy at a time it was hard to find. Those precious moments of sharing between my mother and my daughter have helped soften the strife that has troubled them over the last 12 months. 

Thanks Julie for showing us how Poetry Teatime can simply be love!

Dani

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