Today I’ve written a poem about my childhood sea in honour of National Poetry Day. I find something therapeutic about writing poems containing memories of my original home in New Zealand. I love life in England, but I miss my first home sometimes too. As the Autumn days grow shorter, it is comforting to think of those days and let myself feel the warmth of the sand and remember what it was like to be young and a little more carefree. Writing for my own wellbeing! Why not write a poem today for yours?

The ocean at Omaha

The sea lying back on it’s long spine

It’s wide shoulders, it’s circling triangles

The tall banks of snow white sand

The sweet-hungry ants trailing across hot decking

The scorching, blistering days stretching out before us

The uproar of voices coming home from the beach

The long, warm empty dark at night

The land of the long white cloud of summer

If you don’t know where to start, begin by reading someone else’s poem and take a line from that as inspiration. That’s what I did with this one: I began with Gratitude by Mary Oliver and then I wrote about what I am grateful for in my life. This is a common technique in writing for wellbeing. Interested? Try one of my workshops.