Poetry Unbound

Stewart Henderson — How To Speak Love In A Storm?

15 snips
Feb 6, 2026
A tender reading of a poem that models how to stay with someone in crisis. Close attention to voice, small details, and the language of care. Reflections on shame, exposure, and the risk of hollow comfort. A therapist's story about how a poem can change a caring moment.
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INSIGHT

Storm As Emotional Map

  • Pádraig Ó Tuama highlights the poem's vivid images that map the inner chaos of someone in crisis.
  • The storm metaphors make emotional disorder tangible and invite compassionate attention.
INSIGHT

Signposts Over Demands

  • The poem's 'signpost for the lost' image offers a lasting marker rather than an urgent command.
  • Pádraig Ó Tuama notes a signpost gives exhausted people a remembered way even if they can't follow it now.
ANECDOTE

Poems As Quiet Companion

  • Pádraig gave a friend a packet of poems when the friend entered a mental health facility to offer care without intruding.
  • He chose a mix of funny and meaningful poems, including this one, to signal presence and trying.
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