Through Corridors of Light : Poems of Consolation in Time of Illness

Oxford, UK: Lion Hudson, 2011 238 pages. New book - no internal markings, clean text pages - recently published. "The poems in this anthology - chosen by sufferers themselves - powerfully respond to the deepest and most private thoughts and feelings that commonly preoccupy the seriously ill but are difficult to articulate or even recognize. Among them are poems of quietness and gratitude, prayers and spiritual verse." The editor of this anthology was a musician and publisher's editor before falling ill with ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome more than 20 years ago. The anthology grew out of his fortuitous discovery of the extraordinary healing effect of Poetry Therapy, which makes use of verse that is relevant to the reader's experience - in this case, poems written by poets who themselves experienced illness or other life challenges. The collection is divided into 7 parts reflecting the emotional and spiritual path most sufferers from serious illness follow: Part I: O Rose, Thou Art Sick; Part II: In a Dark Time, the Eye Begins to See; Part III: Cure Me with Quietness; Part IV: Look to this Day: Part V: Seasons of Beauty and Hope; Part VI: I Said to My Soul, Be Still; Part VII: Let Evening Come. There is also a penetrating Introduction by the editor. The poets are mostly well known or historical, among them William Blake; Emily Dickinson; Mary Oliver; Walt Whitman; Robert Frost; W.B. Yeats; Po Chu-i; Dylan Thomas; Philip Larkin; Kathleen Raine; King David; Willa Cather; Molly Holden to name a few. Royalties will be donated to ME Research UK, the leading body in the UK researching into ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.