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Poetry - Musings of the Soul
by David A. Crenshaw
A GIFT TO CHERISH
A
Tribute to the Love of Mothers
What
are those cries I hear in the dark of the night?
Who is crying?
What are those tears I see in the full light of day?
Tears streaming down the face of a child, a man, a woman
How could Rilke have known that there is an inconsolable source of all
tears?
Mothers know what to do
They tenderly snuggle, hold dear, comfort, console and the cries subside
And the tears no longer flow in the most vulnerable and sweetest of all
God’s children
But we grow and we move away from our mothers
We learn to suppress and hide our tears and muffle our cries
We are grown up now, the cries come less often and the tears are rarely
seen
Now I am older, in a far place and time from my mother
Crying is undignified
Tears are unsightly
I walk past houses at night
At the end of a work day
I hear the cries of a baby
The mother will know what to do
She will hold, she will comfort, she will cuddle you dear one
And it will be all okay
Your tears are mine, and every man, woman, and child
For we walk this earth alone, we grow up
We become separate
No longer do we have our mothers to lovingly attend to our hurts
Except in rare moments, we no longer reveal our vulnerability
The cries I hear, the tears I see, they are for all of us,
Who left behind a long time ago the comfort of our mothers
To roam the earth to find a new home for our soul
But no place can be found that provides the kind of shelter for the soul
That a mother can provide; we are all nomads seeking a home
Could this be Rilke’s “inconsolable source of all tears”?
A place of belonging we once had but lost?
But this is what I’ve learned:
“Home” still resides deep in our soul
The inconsolable source of all tears is the same deep place inside
Where the home, the “shelter for the soul” can be found
The greatest and most lasting gift of a loving mother
I now understand when I hear those cries in the night
When I see those tears in the full light of day
Comfort is near but don’t seek it in the world around you
Find it within, the priceless gift of a loving mother
Who left you deep inside a place of comfort, solace, peace, and love:
A “shelter for the soul”
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IS IT TOO MUCH TO ASK?
A safe home at its best is
A place of joy and hope
A shelter for the heart
A safe home at its best is
A place of belonging, rest, and play
A nest of love and nurture
A safe home at its least is
A place free of threat or harm
A shelter from danger
Every child needs a safe home
A refuge from the storm
A safe harbor
A safe home
Is it too much to ask?
Children want to know
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WOUNDS OF THE
HEART
Children of rage bear wounds of the heart,
Wounds invisible, wounds that don’t bleed,
Does anyone notice?
Do only the wounds that bleed count?
If you can’t see the wound or bandage it, does the child not hurt?
Or does it hurt more partly because you don’t see it or count it?
A wound seeks a witness,
Longs to break its silence
To be respected and valued.
How many wounds unseen, not counted can a child bear?
Is rage the devalued wound screaming to be seen, to be heard?
What is it that we see? What is it that we hear?
As we undertake the
healing journey
We encounter many
children with hidden, secret wounds
The thick smokescreen
of rage obscures.
Will we see?
Hear and honor?
The wounds of the heart
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IN SEARCH OF MY
BROTHER’S KEEPER*
I’ve searched high and
low,
All around the world,
And nowhere to be found
is my brother’s keeper,
Surely, he or she must
be somewhere,
Belatedly, I came to
realize that
My brother’s keeper is
only to be found,
Within you and me
*Originally
published in:“Therapist Healing and Use of Self”. In D. A. Crenshaw
(ed.), Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy: Wounded Spirits and
Healing Paths (p.126). Lanham, MD: Jason Aronson/Rowman &
Littlefield Publishing.
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RELATIONAL
HEALING**
Come walk with me
Don’t despair
I will accompany you
Together we will find the path
That leads to your place of healing and belonging.
**Originally
published in:“Tales of Heartbreak and Joy and Reflections along the
Healing Path” . In D. A. Crenshaw (ed.), Child and Adolescent
Psychotherapy: Wounded Spirits and Healing Paths (pp. 158-159).
Lanham, MD: Jason Aronson/Rowman & Littlefield Publishing.
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WHERE DID MABEL
GO?***
Where can I find Mabel?
Mabel doesn’t live here anymore,
Her body is still here but her soul left a long time ago.
When did her soul leave?
A long time ago
When no one believed her.
A long ago time when
Girls who accused fathers of molestation
Were sent to insane asylums.
A time in the distant past
When girls were not simply disbelieved but
Regarded as crazy, insane.
How long has Mabel’s
body been housed in this insane asylum?
Forty-Seven years
She came here when
thirteen-years-old.
Mabel’s body is still confined,
But not her soul
Her soul left this dehumanizing place long ago.
*** Written to
honor a patient that Dr. Crenshaw met in 1962 on the back ward of a
state hospital, primitive in its conditions compared to today’s
standards. She was 60-years-old at the time. She had not received a
visitor in over 40 years. Dr. Crenshaw has never been able to forget
her. Story told in “A Spectrum of Dynamic Forces that Silence Children”
(D. A. Crenshaw & Jennifer Lee, 2008) in D. A. Crenshaw (ed.), Child
and Adolescent Psychotherapy: Wounded Spirits and Healing Paths (pp.
117-119). Lanham, MD: Jason Aronson/Rowman & Littlefield Publishing.
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A HOME, NOT A
HOUSE
A home for the heart
Is more than a house
A place of joining; ties that bind.
A home, not a house
Filled with love and joy
A tender shelter for the soul.
A home, not a house
A place of belonging
A nest of abundant nurture.
A home, not a house
The warmth of a fire
Connection and protection.
A home, not a house
Nourishment, encouragement
Fostering hopes and dreams.
A home, not a house
Learning and growing
And eventually letting go.
A home, not a house
Wishes are expressed
Misdeeds are confessed.
A home, not a house
A sanctuary where
Healing takes place.
A home, not a house
Always welcome to return
Where hearts come together as one.
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The Lost Child
Has anyone seen the child I once was?
How long has he been gone?
He has been missing a long time.
Where did you last see him?
At a church picnic
Eating an ice cream cone
If we were to see him,
What would he look like?
Oh, he would be smiling.
What else would we see?
Ice cream all over his face
And that smile from ear to ear.
If we should see him,
What do you want us to do?
Hug him and tell him welcome back.
Tell him we will soon
Be united and joined
Together at home at last.
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The Ache in Your
Heart
Someone you love dies.
You cry, you grieve,
But you are changed.
You can never be the same
Because the ache in your heart
Never completely goes away.
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Where is God?
A child laughs,
A child sheds a tear,
God is near.
A child is sad.
A child is mad.
God is near.
A child is glad.
A child is scared.
God is near.
A child wonders.
A child feels joy.
God is near.
Where is God?
Take time to notice a precious child.
God will be near.
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Timeless
Attachments
When someone special dies,
The physical presence is gone,
But the attachment lives on.
The attachment is timeless,
Vibrant and vital,
A bond not bounded by death.
The vital presence is felt
In the midst of physical absence
In a thousand ways and places
The timeless attachment is a precious gift
Given to us,
It nourishes and sustains us.
The gift is abundant.
It contains the influence, values,
Teachings and example of one so dear
A gift that can never
Be taken away
A blessing to be cherished forever
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Beauty: Do We
Notice?
Beauty within us
Beauty around us
Beauty that elevates the spirit
Beauty that nourishes the soul
Beauty in simple acts of kindness
Beauty in forgiveness
Beauty in acceptance
Beauty in compassion
Beauty in love
Beauty in loyalty
Do we notice?
Beauty in animals
Beauty in nature
Beauty in flowers
Beauty in smiles
Beauty in holding on
Beauty in letting go
Beauty in a life well-lived
Beauty in courage facing suffering
Beauty in dying with dignity
Beauty in reverence
Do we notice?
Beauty in respect
Beauty in sensitivity
Beauty in humility
Beauty in strength
Beauty in children and adults playing
Beauty in laughter
Beauty in remembering
Beauty in forgetting
Beauty in sharing
Beauty in caring
Do we notice?
Beauty in helping
Beauty in giving
Beauty in gracious receiving
Beauty in consoling a child
Beauty in friendship
Beauty in family ties
Beauty in intimacy
Beauty in trust
Beauty in the heart
Beauty in the soul
Do we notice?
Beauty in tenderness
Beauty in hugs
Beauty to behold
Beauty to hold
Beauty in touch
Beauty in reconnection
Beauty in reconciliation
Beauty in dedication
Beauty in passion
Beauty in reflection
Do we notice?
© Copyright 2008 by David A.
Crenshaw, Ph.D. All rights reserved.
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