Poetry came into my life only briefly at school but later in life, during times of stress it helped me immensely. It has certainly got me through many a crisis and helped get things into perspective.
I was very ill in 1983 and had a breakdown and was hospitalised for 14 months in Fulbourn Hospital Cambridge. Writing helped then – though not in poetry form. I found it difficult to express how I was feeling verbally and wrote it down – page after page!
On my return to the ‘real world’ I tried to make a new life for myself, alone and without my three sons and husband, as I was now divorced and care and control had gone to the boys’ father! I felt I had failed!
With a great deal of support from hospital staff I was sent to a rehabilitation unit in Harpenden, Spelthorne St Mary, where Anglican Nuns cared for women with alcohol problems. Once again, I found it difficult to express myself verbally in groups and began keeping a diary. Then, one day, I noticed that the words rhymed and the writing really took off. I have written a book (as yet unpublished) of my time at Spelthorne St Mary which, unfortunately, has now closed so I consider myself very lucky and privileged to have been there – it almost certainly saved my life.
In 1991, however, after my second marriage (divorced in 2001) two of my sons did come back to live with me. It was a very traumatic time for them and I won’t go into details here; but eventually they did settle and have done very well for themselves. My eldest son, did not come back to live with me as he was in a relationship. They are now aged 48, 46 and 41. My youngest being a ‘rainbow child’ after having a still-born baby.
In 1995 poetry got me through the sudden death of my mother, followed by the death of my brother. Some of these poems will be included in my blogs.
I now write on different themes thanks to Poetry Now! Some are funny, some are sad and some I hope you can relate to – writing certainly has helped me to get through my life!
Trish's Life in Verse 