Which will be the albatross?

Life is too precious

For us to throw away

Yet many of us suffer

When we contemplate suicide by the end of the day

Even the moon

Will shine at night

In the dark shadow of emotion and reason

As darkness is the absence of light

How do we procure

A well balanced soul?

How do we parent?

How do we console?

We must cultivate character

Establish a code of morality

Learn how to forgive ourselves and others

To keep our sanity

The weight of the world is upon you

Tension and pressure will build inside

Are you motivated to take positive action?

Are you relegated to ignore and hide?

Life provides us with challenges

Sloth and apathy a tradition of loss

Which will change a circumstance?

Which will be the albatross?

…

DCG

I say this all with sincerity

A narcissist with an inferiority complex

It is a horrific thing being in between

A non-empathetic father

With a low self-esteem

Any one who grew up in this family

I share your pain

I’ve spent the better part of five decades

Searching for answers to keep me sane

Don’t get me wrong

I’ve had a good life

But nobody should have to endure

Such an existential strife

Sometimes I’m haunted by my dreams

But I do not claim to be a victim

I’ve educated myself

And this is my dictum

Make good memories

To replace the ones that harm

Over time these new ones

Will be a healing charm

Maybe this is a poem

Maybe this is my therapy

Maybe this will help others

I say this all with sincerity

…

DCG

Self-Reflection

Self-Reflection

The razors edge

To better myself

I’ve made this pledge

The search to improve myself

On the lessons of my life lived

Can benefit me

On the perspective that it gives

Yet I’m chasing a ghost

When I dwell on the past

I no longer serve myself

As the cost is vast

You heal from wounds

Not by attaching to the grief

Reliving a memory over and over again

There is no relief

One must move forward

I must create a new me

Build upon a new foundation

On how I intend to be

…

DCG

The court of suffering

Be thankful for your blessings

It does not matter who you are

The further we distance ourselves from happiness

The less we notice just indeed how far

A captive trance

Will take over our perception

It deceptively steals our senses

A rational mind is now in defection

Too often our hearts and minds stray

Too often we focus on our hurt

Why not rejoice for the positive?

Why do we not avert?

It is not our natural behavior

Therefore I think it is learned

If we put this into practice

Than the court of suffering is now adjourned

…

DCG

Elst We Stay in the Cirque

Visualize the triumph

Discontinue behaviors that do not work

Identify what fails us

Elst we stay in the cirque

Repetitive bad habits

No matter how we justify

Locks up our will

Because we tell ourselves these lies

Precisely what master gives us liberation

Is the same master that enslaves our mind

To see this duality

A gift of sight to the blind

…

DCG

I Know I have to Heal

I choose to be happy

But I have much work to do

I have a damaged soul

Just between me and you

Traumatized in my childhood

I eventually outgrew and overcame

But if you don’t resolve the issues

They tend to come back to visit again and again

Ironically I cannot turn to the family

Since their influence is part of my shame

I know I have to heal

And depose this pain that comes out of my blame

…

DCG

Wallow in the Mire

Ask the right questions

Focus on the good

Knowing that you have been wronged

Won’t matter if this is understood

The best way forward

You must first find your stride

Following the affirmative

Let this be your guide

When you allow the cynical voices

To occupy your mind

You squelch any happiness

That you are willing if able to find

Wallow in the mire

Bespattered with wounded pith

If you remain there too long

A potential to overcome becomes myth

…

DCG

All Things Must Pass

It’s hard to rise in the morning

If you care not to wake from your bed

With no purpose or motivation

Stirring around in your head

Maybe a prayer or a call from a good friend

Will revive your resolution

Showing you it’s not as bad as you thought

Giving you a light of absolution

It’s possible to think too highly of ourselves

It’s also possible to think of the other extreme

How do we balance the equation?

How do we maintain a healthy routine?

Those who are conscientious

Those who are thoughtful

Just may be more likely

To observe and be watchful

When you place yourself under intense scrutiny

Sometimes you look to closely into your heart

Unable to forgive past misgivings

Not sure how to make a new start

Listen carefully

Allow for a heart to heal

All things must pass

It’s all about how you make the deal

…

DCG

It just might be for your sake

The most powerful resource in the human condition

Our need to belong, our need for connection

Not unlike the power of Love

Not unlike the power of rejection

In our isolation

We struggle to prevail

In our disconnection

We are more likely to fail

A healthy social construct

Must be available for all

Given the state of humanity

We are destined to occasionally fall

Bruce K Alexander

Studies with Rat Park

Showed me without a doubt

He was right on the mark

So why don’t we hear more about this?

What else will it take?

Make this apart of your life

It just might be for your sake

…

DCG

https://www.brucekalexander.com/articles-speeches/rat-park/148-addiction-the-view-from-rat-park

This Reality is Taboo

How long is the night?

When you are in despair

Suffocating without love

As you gasp for air

This may not be popular

This reality is taboo

How many have gone through it?

How many never review?

When parent wrestled a child

One that is their own

Sadistically chokes them in play

Calls them a pussy before leaving to answer the phone

The worst part of the story

A mother and brother watching, never lifted their hands

But there is no blame

For this memory that still stands

Fear is debilitating

For any reconciliation one must reach within

Forgive the sins against you

This is where you must begin

…

DCG