A personal exploration of the power of poetry in palliative care, loss and bereavement.

This article is a personal reflection and exploration of the potential of poetry in palliative care. Poetry can help enable expression of individuals' deepest unspoken concerns and may provide a means of providing spiritual care. The author draws on her personal experience as a community nurse, together with the views of patients and colleagues, and discusses the literature. Some limitations to the use of poetry are considered, as are the skills needed to help patients use poetry. To illustrate the potential therapeutic value of poetry in palliative care, examples of poems by poets, patients and the author are included. The article concludes that poetry can bring about a sense of healing, and should be considered as a possible addition to other holistic therapies.