Poetry and Counseling

April is National Poetry Month so I have been thinking about the ways I use poetry in my school counseling program.  I have used poems because of the metaphorical essence to convey motivation, expression of emotion, etc.  I have used poems in classroom lessons from kindergarten through grade 5.  A poem can capture a concept succinctly, express humor, or serve as a memory trigger.  Poems can also explain the counseling process.  One I like that was written by Gladding (1974) and published by ACA is:

Tea-kettle Song
I know how the pressure can build sometimes
In your own metallic tea-kettle world,
Sporadically you whistle to me,
At other times you explode!
Somewhere beneath that noisy facade
(In silence or stillness perhaps)
Feelings might flow with quickness and strength,
Like the Dan or the Shenandoah,
But now they incessantly boil in your mind
Steam-filling dark shadows and choking conversation.

I'd love to hear how other elementary counselors incorporate poetry into their programs.