Art as therapy

Writing poetry acts as therapy for many people, I'm certain. Processing emotions, bringing your own stories to the page, what a powerful tool for mental health that type of writing can be. Would that writing poetry appealed to more people in need of an outlet. I see poetry getting more popular lately, but I fear the rush to the extreme that consumes our culture already infects that arm of publishing with celebrity culture. I wish writing and publishing one's own poetry and stories were as normal and accessible for everyone as buying groceries or riding a city bus. We are all always about the stories: humans need stories to survive and thrive. Almost every moment of every day includes a story of some sort: the snippets we tell ourselves to build our world as we negotiate society, the details we share with friends to construct our social identity, the sweet pap of commercial storytellers that fill our spare moments with tv, movies, novels, and so many other stories that we receive and give daily in order to survive.
Meander
A poem
A wander in the city offers stories for the supping
The people share their tales
Whether I want them to or not
Quaff the joy, the fear, the delight, the angst
I take it all in and form their story in my own way, write the urban, write the people, write the life.