The following is a poem by wise and compassionate poet, counselor, and retired Episcopal priest, Alla Renee Bozrath that I first discovered in the book, “Life Prayers: 365 Prayers, Blessings and Affirmations to Celebrate the Human Journey” edited by Elizabeth Roberts and Elias Amidon. If you are a seeker, a griever, or are struggling in any way right now, I encourage you to explore her wonderful work.
“Don’t look back,
battered child,
Time then hurt you,
Let time heal you.
Don’t look back.
Don’t look back,
beaten child.
They knew not what
they did except what
was done unto them.
Don’t look back.
Don’t look back,
abandoned child,
abused, neglected child.
Denial is salt in your wounds.
Dwelling in repeating
the deliberate disappearance
of your soul.
Don’t perpetuate this harm.
Break the cycle,
wait –
stop it here.
Speak out the paralyzing secret
and begin to come back to yourself.
Cry it out to compassionate ears
and be held in the hearts of your witnesses.
The truth shall make you free
but first it will shatter you.
What was broken can be mended,
what was lost, restored.
Find yourself, then,
pure and whole, a child of God.
Look back long enough to let go.”
– Alla Renee Bozarth
Look Back
Long Enough
and then
Let Go…..
Spirituality, Therapy, and the Good Life 