Tag Archives: Voice Dialogue

150th BIRTHDAY LIMERICK

150TH BIRTHDAY LIMERICK

The Event
In October 2007 a number of Voice Dialogue teachers and friends gathered in Boulder to celebrate Hal’s 80th birthday and Sidra’s 70th birthday. I was honoured to be asked to write a theme poem, then Larry said, “But not a Limerick”.

The Limerick

There were two therapists from Thera
Who were so wise they would scare a ya

The were so darned smart
They could take you apart

And you couldn’t hide hide nor hair a ya

NEW TRIBES

NEW TRIBES

From the old tribe of Isaac
and the old tribe of Ishmael

Israeli and Palestinian
couples and their children
come together by the sea and share

We are teaching the skills of listening
the skills of sharing and skills of hearing

The rules are simple
tell your truth as your truth only

Assume as you listen
that the person makes sense
If they do not seem to make sense
assume you need more information,

By the end of the weekend
the eight year olds are sleeping over
teenagers walk on the beach till dawn

A new tribe being formed

THE INNER CRITIC

THE INNER CRITIC

Poor little Keystone Cop
(although often not so funny)
Leaping from shoulder to shoulder
trying so hard to keep us safe
yelling or whispering in each ear
the old rules based on fear

Telling us what we should have done
and what we should never do
Enforcing rules learned long ago
that may no longer be true

The voice of your mother, still
nags when your room’s not neat
The voice of your father
still wants you up at dawn

Your teacher and your coach
Your country and your culture
Your parents and your younger selves
with messages to keep you safe

The cop only knows what he used to know
and still does what he was told to do
You don’t have to destroy him
or shove him out the door

Just put your arm around him
and tell him you’re no longer four

THE BUSMAN’S HOLIDAY

THE BUSMAN’S HOLIDAY

I think I’ve done it now
run out of places to hide
painted myself into a corner
surrounded on every side

For like every pilot
that ever learned to fly
I’ve got to help the captain
whenever I’m in the sky

All my time of thumbing
and a haulin heavy loads
links me with the Gypsies
that I meet along the roads

And if I look from side to side
at the lands along the way
why the farmer and the rancher
still within me want their say

Whenever I get to stop to rest
at any sweet Inn along the way
the years I’ve spent in running one
with constant detail mark my stay

And now I’m studying psychology
and the hidden parts of you and me
and prevalidation and master talk
and how one ought to walk one’s walk

Capped with the writers joy and chore
of finding a metaphor behind each door

ACT YOUR AGE

ACT YOUR AGE

I might have heard it first at six

when mother thought that I was acting three

And again at ten when acting six or three

certainly at sixteen, acting ten, or six, or three

There is the age that I am now

known as the age of responsible men

But there are those who know it’s just an act

the me’s of three and six and ten

WHO’S DRIVING YOUR CAR

WHO’S DRIVING YOUR CAR

The Siamese twins
had to move to England
so the other one could drive

The part of you that drives to the office
is not the one who arrives at the beach

The one who bought the purple dress
is not the one who won’t let you wear it

The one who got the license first
always wants to drive

While everyone else in your psychic car
the ones that can think
and the ones that can feel
all fight for their turn at the wheel

While it so often seems that the you
that includes and is more than them all

Is back in the boot, or trunk if you like
bound and gagged and tied up inside
just going along for the ride

BONDING PATTERNS

BONDING PATTERNS

Although it may not be apparent to you
the non apparent parent in you
is more than apparent to me

Although to be perfectly fair
it’s not likely I’ll mess with a hair
as long as it’s taking good care

But when it gets too big for its thighs
when it starts to guilt and to criticize

Something will change in the blink of our eyes
and it’ll be fighting with someone its size

Even though it may not be apparent to me
I’m gonna go running to the parent in me

If I tell my dad he’ll have something to say
and
if I tell my mom there’ll be hell to pay