For a long time, he had used songwriting to turn his own emotions into artwork, but in the past eight years he had turned the process into a service for others.
He’d learned that listening to people’s stories and reflecting them back in an artistic format was a cathartic experience for them.
He continuously witnessed how it positively impacted people to be able to turn a past experience into a cherished piece of music.
Doing the work with veterans and their families had produced some incredibly powerful songs over the years, and he was extremely grateful to the VA for believing in the healing power of the program.
Listener Poet Beck Klassen
Veterans Affairs Voluntary Services
August 2020
Catharsis
sharing your story
is like pouring water
on a wound
it might hurt at first,
but after a moment
the pressure is welcome
you quickly realize that
the sooner you clean it out
and let the light bathe it
the quicker it heals
until one day you look back
and you feel peace
