Poems about resilience can evoke a sense of compassion and connection. They remind us of our sense of shared humanity, and they remind us to always look for the hope and the helpers.
Poetry can open the heart and touch the soul in a way that other ways of arranging words cannot quite reach. I’m sharing links to poems about resilience by some of my favorite poets. You can click on the links to access the poems. May they open your heart, soothe your soul, and connect you with a sense of hope and resilience in difficult times.
A Map to the Next World by Joy Harjo
Elegy for the Native Guards by Natasha Tretheway
A Litany for Survival by Audre Lorde
An Old Story by Tracy K. Smith
Perhaps the World Ends Here by Joy Harjo
Won’t You Celebrate with Me by Lucille Clifton
Enlightenment by Natasha Tretheway
Reading poetry and writing poetry can help us to feel less alone. Writing poetry about our lives can help us to make order from what feels like chaos. It can help us to make meaning from our experience by putting words to it. Poem making and writing can facilitate healing for our mind body and soul in difficult times.
Resilience is our ability to adapt during difficult times. When we cultivate resilience, we are less severely blown over by life’s storms, we recover more quickly and with greater ease, and we have a greater sense of inner strength when facing future difficulties.
If you feel inspired to write a poem that is focused on resilience, I’m including several prompts that you might use:
At the light of a new day…
I can hear the birds singing…
A neighbor smiles and waves…
In the midst of spring…
The sun is still shining…
Like an ocean, I am…
Riding the waves of grief and joy, I…