Charles Davies
The poetry service
For those times when finding the right words feels like it would help, I might be able to find them for you.
What poetry does
The gift of poetry is that it doesn’t need to explain. And you don’t have to understand. The task of the poet is to find the words that you can feel.Reading the right poem, you feel the effect. If you’re stuck, it’ll move you. If you’re lost, it’ll show a way through.Not telling you what to do, but carrying you home.
An invitation, not a promise
There are times when friends have asked me to write a poem. Or where I've thought writing one might help. Weddings and funerals might call for powerful words, but there are other times too. A heartbreak. A worry. A tricky goodbye.Not always, but sometimes, if they tell me what's going on for them, I find that I can find the words they need almost immediately. The poem that's needed arrives.
Words for everyone
If someone asks for a poem and I'm able to write one for them, it's rarely just for them. In the end, each poem speaks to a feeling - or a path through feeling. And those feelings and those paths are ones we all know.So every poem is for everyone.
And each of these poems is for you.
Words for you
So here is the invitation. If you find yourself faced with something and it feels like a poem might help, if you tell me what’s going on, I might be able to write one for you.Sometimes you know exactly what the trouble is. A parenting challenge, or a friend in grief, or a sudden crisis. And sometimes the not-knowing is the trouble.Either way - there may be words for you.
Your poem
Write to me or leave a voice note. Tell me what the poem you'd like would be about - and anything you think it would be helpful for me to know.
• If you're not sure what to say, or what to ask, just say you think you need a poem and I'll ask you a couple of questions.• There's no fee. My only ask is that you might let me share your story (anonymously) when I publish the poem.• If you're not a fan of WhatsApp you can email me on [email protected], but I'll most likely be slower to reply.
Other places to go
If you'd like to hear when new poems are written, or you'd like to read old ones, you can subscribe to The Poetry Service on Substack.I'm also responsible for The Clarity Practice.