Soldiers in Iraq Find Poetry a Gift

Online poet, Allen Jesson has been inundated" with requests from soldiers for his unique brand of gift poetry, "...creating an emotional bridge from war torn Iraq to loved ones back home".

(PRWEB) October 27, 2004 -- Just as World War I saw soldiers sitting in muddy trenches scribbling poems on dog eared scraps of paper, soldiers are once again turning to poetry to express their innermost feelings.

But this is 2004, and although the sound of battle might be the same, the modern soldier has access to the Internet and the unique services on offer. As a consequence, online poet, Allen Jesson has been inundated" with requests for his unique brand of gift poetry. His web-site, A Gift of Poetry, is now attracting over 10,000 visitors per day and is one of the top 50,000 web-sites in the world. A remarkable achievement for what was, up until only recently, a one man band".

Allen goes onto to say: The power of poetry is enormous. Im not sure whether its the rhythm, the rhyme or something spiritual, but we are certainly creating an emotional bridge from war torn Iraq to loved ones back home".

Its very much a collaborative process. Soldiers simply tell me what they would like to say and I convert those thoughts and feelings into meaningful verse. We work through the drafts until they are completely satisfied. We then present their poem, gift boxed, in a beautiful hand made card and deliver it to anywhere in the world. Of course, this is an ideal gift for Christmas, birthdays and anniversaries but Im also doing a lot of repair" work. I have noticed an increasing level of tension, as the stress of battle and extended periods of absence start to take their toll on the soldiers relationships. Hopefully, I have helped to strengthen a few marriages along the way."

I do get some great feedback and always ask for permission to publish. This is typical of the response I receive: (from Danny, who is currently serving in Iraq, who recently commissioned A Gift of Poetry for his girlfriend, Samantha, who is stationed in Afghanistan): Mr. Jesson, it is amazing. I thank you, you have captured everything in my heart and expressed it beautifully, I will recommend your site to all the other soldiers in my unit here in Iraq."

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