Poetry is being be used to entertain sick children when award-winning writer Lemn Sissay performs at the Royal London Children’s Hospital today (Thurs).
His visit marks National Poetry Day when millions of people across Britain take up poetry through live events and competitions.
Lemn, the first commissioned poet for the 2012 Olympics, has already been working at the hospital in Whitechapel over the past six weeks in his role as poet-in-residence and plans a special recital to mark the day.
“The children’s imagery has been original, their stories fascinating,” he said. “They are cooped up in a ward and their imaginations are desperate to run free—where the body has its limitations, the imagination is limitless.”
He performs his own poems today before leading a poetry workshop for the young patients. Their poems will be posted up in the new children’s hospital opening in February.
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