Sharing My Shadowland

In my poetry section, I included the above painting with a poem titled Shadowland. This Shadowland I "created" in my mind was truly "my" place - maybe dark and ominous, but still safe for a child's roaming. My journey began in this special place, and it is appropriate that these pictures begin here as well.

Why Me?

"Why me?" the child asked
"Why me? Why me?"
In her childhood of neglect and abuse,
While grown men molested her,
she asked, "Why me?"
Though not yet the words,
she began to recognize
the feelings of neglect and abuse.
She began to know that
all children were not like her.
Sometime in her childhood
she realized what happened to her
didn't happen to all children.
Sometime in her childhood
she learned the painful truth of life
and she asked, "Why me?"

3/4/2004

My Therapist/My Guide

We cannot anticipate our life's paths,
Some are bright and some are dark;
Due solely to a chance meeting,
The path we choose can abruptly change,

Choosing my therapist was by chance,
He saw beneath my surface ills,
His patience and his maturity
encouraged my trust in him to grow.

In our mostly one-sided relationship,
I feel safe sharing a lifetime of pain,
I fully expect one day to heal,
From the hurts I endured again and again.

His expertise continues to amaze me,
His mind holds a wealth of knowledge,
His warm laugh can pull me from despair,
He's neither young nor old, just nearly perfect.

He puts me in the driver's seat,
and lets me try my wings,
His compassion spills forth quite often,
And makes me trust him even more.

Though whole books are written on the subject,
Of finding a therapist to suit,
I chose mine somewhat blindly,
And I am entirely glad I did!

6/7/98