A Poem: The Gift of Healing

A Brave Poem to Honor National Poetry Month

Launched by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996, National Poetry Month is a special occasion that celebrates poets’ integral role in our culture and that poetry matters. Over the years, it has become the largest literary celebration in the world, with tens of millions of readers, students, K–12 teachers, librarians, booksellers, literary events curators, publishers, families, and—of course—poets, marking poetry’s important place in our lives. (National Poetry Month)

Photo by Lina Trochez on Unsplash

The Gift of Healing*

What is it I would say to you?
What is it that you long to hear?
What gift do I have to give you?
What does your heart whisper in my ear?
 
It is a longing you say,
A desperate need along life’s road,
For someone, anyone to show the way,
To a place where truth is told.
 
What is that truth I ask of you?
What is your truth that whispers silently?
The brokenness you dare not show,
That is killing your heart so quietly.
 
What I say to you is hope,
No condemnation but instead healing.
In the midst of drowning, I throw a rope.
A promise to bring life new meaning.
 
The truth inside you awaits release,
All the things you thought you knew,
Those things that never brought you peace,
Were liars who only tightened the noose.
 
Come with me to the quiet pool,
Look deep inside your true reflection,
See all the beauty that is true,
Dive under layers of all your protection.
 
Find yourself inside your pain-filled eyes,
See who wants to break free,
See who you are deep inside,
Open new eyes so you can see.
 
The truth that you sought,
Is buried deep inside of you.
It is not what you have thought,
And it longs to live your life anew.
 
Follow me down the path of healing,
I have led the way with pain and tears.
I know your life will have new meaning,
And at last you can set aside your fears.
 
Oh wonderful gift that was given me,
Oh how great the care I have received!
Oh how great my responsibility,
Oh how I long for others to be freed!
 
Be brave, be vulnerable, be strong,
Use all that strength to choose to heal,
Receive the gift for which you long,
Your hope for healing can be real.
 

*I found this poem on my computer last week. I hope it is mine because I have no memory of writing it. That happens to me quite often—only a fraction of what I write is actually published.