When a patient arrives at Christ House, they are welcomed into a community dedicated to their holistic healing and well-being. This includes the clinical care and case management that’s provided by our staff on the second floor, three nutritious meals a day from our kitchen, and counseling from our Addictions Counselor and Chaplain. Another integral part of our patients’ healing is patient activities. Led by a dedicated group of staff and volunteers, these activities include crafts, chair yoga, meditation, board games, vinyl hour, and bingo.
This spring, we’re exploring haiku! A haiku is a type of short-form poetry that originated in Japan. It contains three lines, following a structure of five syllables, seven syllables, and five syllables. A group of patients, Kairos Members, volunteers, and staff gather weekly to create haiku poetry through collaging and collaboration.
At the beginning of class, the group takes a moment to ground themselves by holding a stone and centering themselves in the moment. Music plays as everyone begins to leaf through old magazines, finding words and images that call out to them. As they gather image and text fragments, the patients and Kairos Members begin to share memories and stories. One patient who frequents the haiku class notes how nice it is to create art again and how lucky he is to be at Christ House.
Once they’ve gathered their images and words, it’s time to start making the haiku collages. Each person takes a moment to reflect on what cut-out sections work together, meticulously gluing down images and playing around with their pieces of text to see which phrases flow and fit in the traditional haiku structure. As the hour begins to wind down, the group shares their haikus with one another, pointing out which aspects of their collages they particularly enjoy or find interesting.
Many of our patients come to Christ House closely guarded after experiencing homelessness. The haiku class, and other patient activities, offer our patients and Kairos Members a chance to further create community and camaraderie at Christ House. While they’re under our care, our patients are working tirelessly to heal and recover. Patient activities allow our men to express themselves creatively and have an outlet where they can rest and relax.
Interested in leading or helping with a patient activity? Learn more here!
Leave a Reply