Human Condition · Essays

Stop Scrolling. Read a Poem.

An invitation to slow down with poetry, explore creative writing, and support creative friends.

By Ilana Kovalle · 2026-04-19

Happy National Poetry Month!

Since we’re in April, National Poetry Month, let me say a few things on the subject (besides just talking about my own poetry books - Ode to Hope and Despair and LOML).

Part 1 - Poetry Is Good for You

Did you know that an average person in a developed country consumes 34-74 GB of information a day across all information sources (equivalent to watching 8-16 movies or reading 2-4 books)?

By comparison, 400 years ago an average person would consume a single issue of a modern newspaper over the course of their ENTIRE LIFETIME. I know, I know - things have changed drastically and not for the worse - I wouldn’t wish on anyone a lifetime with a single newspaper :)

But information overload, data fog, and attention deficit - those are all real side effects of this development as our brains haven’t had enough time to adjust to the daily avalanches of information they weren’t originally built to process.

This is where poetry comes in.

With my training in well-being, I firmly believe that everyone should read poetry, even if just a little bit, even if only every now and then (and not even necessarily my poetry:)

You see, poetry can’t be read fast (okay, maybe raps can but do read them slow too, will ya?) - the way it’s written, it requires presence and deceleration - something our brains crave and don’t get enough of.

Reading poetry is like reading in another language - separate words make sense but the forest is lost for the trees. Yet eventually things make sense and build into a new kind of understanding. An entirely different experience with the subject - the one you’ve earned by being willing to sit with it.

“I just don’t like poetry. I don’t get it. It’s weird.”

I hear you. Poetry can feel weird in how it’s stylistically unconfined:

sometimes it rhymes, sometimes it doesn’t;
sometimes it sings in metaphors, sometimes it’s brutally straightforward;
sometimes it steps with cadence, sometimes it pours without rules;
sometimes it experiments with patterns and architecture, sometimes it flies so ingenuously that it feels like a free fall;
and worst/best of all - there’s no one interpretation for anything (which is true for most things in life but poetry just makes it very obvious).

But see, the discomfort you might feel when reading poetry is just the brain skidding on a mossy forest floor while habitually trying to change gears as if on a paved freeway. That discomfort is not something to fear or avoid - just like the muscle soreness during/after a good workout, this discomfort can very well be an indication of you engaging the necessary parts of your brain/mind and giving them what they so need. Embrace it and soon you’ll find yourself enjoying the greenery.

Also, this is where you can put AI to some sustainable use - just ask ChatGPT to give you a poem to read every night/morning by author/topic/any category of your own (you can give it examples of what kind of poetry you like and specify what might be relevant to you right now). Speaking of - any favorite poems/poets to share? My own English/American poetry appreciation phase was initiated by Andrea Gibson and their work “You Better Be Lightning.”

And if you yourself would like to get started with writing in general or poetry in particular, here are two simple approaches to try:

Journaling - that is, engaging in a written conversation with yourself (usually, in the morning or before bed), for which you can also leverage preset questions to facilitate that conversation (such as “What would be one thing today that would make my day lovely?” or “In what ways did I live my values or exhibit my strengths yesterday?”)
Impulse writing - that is, going to a place of whimsy and/or creativity (e.g. museums, galleries, parks, watersides, etc.) with a tiny notebook and a pen (if possible, don’t bring your phone with you at all:) and just staying present with yourself and tending very closely to any splashes of new thoughts and insights.
Poetry drills - that is, put that ChatGPT to a good use and ask it to teach you poetry and drill you with short writing prompts every morning/evening. With a few calibrations, it can actually do a pretty decent job (and make it fun and relatable).

Part 2 - How to Support Your Creative/Creator Friends?

I had a chat with my creative friends about what we agreed was a sensitive topic: the vacuum inside we tend to feel when our creations fail to receive any acknowledgment from the people closest to us - our friends and family. So I felt like a few words on this topic were necessary.

Let me clarify right away - we (creatives) are not trying to turn our friends into our audience. We understand all too well that every creation is meant for its own group of people, so we’re just trying to help our creations find their people - those who will connect with and benefit from them. We’re not expecting our friends to be those people, we just hope that our friends might help us get to them. Does it make sense?

After all, we’re very cognizant of the undercurrents of dread and awkwardness when it comes to trying to navigate the matter of support in creative endeavors. Any of these ring familiar?

Maybe you dread that your poet friend will ask for your feedback on a poem (or even a poetry book) they wrote because you just don’t get “all those poetic musings”?
Or maybe you’re ambivalent about your friend’s new rock song because rock isn’t your thing?
Or maybe you just genuinely don’t quite enjoy your friend’s works (whatever they may be) and don’t want to lie about it? And don’t want other people to think you like/endorse your friend’s work simply because you shared it in your stories?

Whatever it is, trust me, your creative friends get it and probably can sense your dread and go out of their way to not discomfort you with requests for feedback or support or whatever else. But I’ll let you in on a secret - support doesn’t have to be painful or even uncomfortable! What if you could let your creative friends know you CARE about and SEE them without prevarication and awkwardness? Then see below for some simple suggestions, all of which will help your friend’s creation get closer to reaching the people it’s meant for.

A few support options to consider:

Send a note of congratulations on the milestones they share (new book/song/webinar etc);
Like/comment their post/story/reels (”I can only imagine how hard you worked on this!”);
Share their creation with others (you don’t even need to ever mention whether you like it - just note that you’re proud of your friend for completing something like that);
Tell at least one other person about your friend’s work (someone you think might connect with it);
Add that song to a playlist/library or that book to a wishlist or sign up for that free webinar (it helps with algorithms).

And if you want to be a Hercules of support:

Read a free sample of the book or listen to the song and find one little thing that resonates with you and mention it (be ready for your friend to melt at that);
Buy that book/song/webinar/etc and engage with it;
Leave feedback on Amazon, Goodreads, website, etc. (can literally be a single word);
Request that book at your local library or a bookstore (they probably won’t have it, but that might put it on their radar).

And if none of these works for you (or all else fails), just ask your friend what would feel supportive to them (they probably wouldn’t want to impose anyways but would still greatly appreciate the gesture). Support isn’t about being a fan - it’s about being there. I’m lucky to have friends and family who’ve been both supportive of me and open to learning how to support me!

Part 3 - Three Poems from Me to You