A healing wish

So much is wrong in the world—
there’s so much suffering,       war;
I’d like a poem       about healing.
—Jessica Perini, 14 February 2024

Well, you can heal the world by listening, Jess
to those with less;          and I know you do—
you empower; round up knowledge, joy; commune.

Trauma’s much more common
than we credit—and maybe
nothing’s ‘wrong’ with us at all, but       just our past.

So if someone’s unkind,
then it’s most kind that we
look beneath:

prise up trauma’s rug,
seek the inner child beneath;
give compassion, hold her close.

Now this can be scary, feel unsafe—
a child is
                               unpredictable.

But she needs you—
and you her       and we all
need each other.

Absolutely everybody   in the whole wide world
everybody breathes      and everybody needs
absolutely         everybody         else.

So we’ll all heal         together
or none will     and we’ll fall
together       with our mother.

All of us just kids
              spinning in circles
on starship earth          ’round a sun.

*Stanza 7 (in italics), apart from the final word, is from
‘Absolutely Everybody’, Vanessa Amorosi, lyrics © Mark Holden Songs

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