POETRY THERAPY SALVATION FOR TEEN; Writing helps boy deal with loss

Just a few years ago, young Mike Williams was flunking out of school, his father was fighting a losing battle with alcoholism and diabetes, and the Newport boy's anger was uncontrollable.

"I used to be the loser of the school," said Williams, 14.

Now, his grades are improving, he's learning healthy ways to explore his feelings, and he is filling a growing collection of spiral notebooks with his thoughts and dreams.

Friends and relatives credit the healing power of poetry with his turnaround.

At the suggestion of his family and his teachers at Sadie Halstead Middle School, Williams began writing about his feelings over the loss of his dad, Francis Williams, who died about a year ago. Two of his poems already have been published, a third is set for publication, and the teenager is still writing.

"Poetry is a very powerful tool to not only read but to write for yourself," said Perie Longo, who has a doctorate in psychology and is the president of the National Association for Poetry Therapy. "People need to find their own voices."

In most cases, poetry therapy is used in group settings; participants read a selected poem and then write down how they feel and how the material relates to their own experiences.

Lisa Conger, who has hosted poetry therapy sessions for professional caregivers at Sacred Heart Medical Center, said it's especially helpful when people realize that others have undergone similar tribulations.

"Part of the power of the expression through words is that you come to a different perspective on something," Conger said.

Poetry has been Williams' lifesaver, said his mother, Shelly Wren.

"He actually watched his dad die, and that was really hard for him," Wren said.

Whenever the boy feels depressed or angry now, he just goes into his room and starts writing. "I just feel calm after a while," he said.

Williams' interest in the written word is a sharp contrast to his former life.

"Up to about three years ago, he was pulling straight Fs," Wren said.

Williams could barely read and had to take reading classes because he was so far behind his grade. As his father's health worsened, he read more, his mother said, adding "he finally got an A this year."

Williams hopes to participate in the International Society of Poetry convention Aug. 19 to Aug. 21 at Washington, D.C., and his family members want to go with him for support. But the $4,000 necessary for the trip is more than he and his mother have, so they are organizing fund-raisers and holding garage sales.

The Spokane Teachers Credit Union and Numerica Credit Union both have donated toward the trip, and Wren's co-workers at Avista Advantage contributed their Marriot Rewards points so the family could have four free nights at the hotel on the trip. Family and friends have also established a "Help Mike Williams Fund" at Numerica.

A garage sale is scheduled for today and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 2202. E. Thurston in Spokane, said Megan Dalton, who works with Wren and runs the nonprofit organization Solution Finders.

Wren said she wants to nurture her son's talents because she feared that he might turn to drugs and alcohol as a balm for his pain.

Wren said the family will even sell some of its antique heirlooms at the sale to try to raise more money.

"We're just going to be in debt," she said. But her son's happiness is worth every sacrifice, she said. "I watched him struggling for two years."

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