commands . Third , a study of poetry can greatly sharpen your sensory acuity as well as your repertoire of imagery , metaphors , and suggestions . Lastly , poetry can work where other things haven ’ t . Kafka said that a book “ must be the axe which smashes the frozen sea within us .” A poem can be just that for a resistant or frozen client — especially the clients who seem the least likely to be interested in poetry .
Poetry as a Window to the Unconscious
If you have a client that likes poetry or even writes poetry , this can be a great way to learn things you wouldn ’ t in a typical session . If my clients like poetry , I might ask them to bring in some of their favourite poems and ask them to tell me why they love them . This can be very revealing .
Here is a fun example : Tuesday 9 a . m . By Denver Butson
A man standing at the bus stop reading the newspaper is on fire Flames are peeking out
from beneath his collar and cuffs His shoes have begun to melt
The woman next to him wants to mention it to him that he is burning
but she is drowning Water is everywhere
in her mouth and ears in her eyes
A stream of water runs steadily from her blouse
Another woman stands at the bus stop freezing to death
She tries to stand near the man
who is on fire
to try to melt the icicles
that have formed on her eyelashes
and on her nostrils
to stop her teeth long enough
from chattering to say something
to the woman who is drowning
but the woman who is freezing to death has trouble moving
with blocks of ice on her feet