More than words: How poetry marks life’s most important moments

When Cyprus Mail published “A poem for Cyprus” in honor of Independence Day, it underscored something many on the island instinctively understand: poetry is not confined to classrooms or literary circles. It surfaces at moments of collective reflection — and just as often at deeply personal milestones. From weddings in mountain villages to memorial services in city churches, verse continues to shape how people in Cyprus mark life’s most meaningful occasions. Poetry has a way of saying what ordinary language often cannot.