Healing C(v)ulture

Healing culture has us all

in its grip as if we are

each a library of blank pages

begging the teachers to tell us

the words that need

to be written down

and I think perhaps this

has made you feel that

what I want to hear

from you is how much

you know about trauma,

or how many circles

you have sat in,

or what books you have read

about healing or what

system of belief

you subscribe to or

which great teacher

you have called Guru

if not in name, at least

in the way you

parrot teachings because

that is what we

have been taught to do.

To assign, to identify,

to subscribe, to prove.

To prove

we are trying,

which is to prove

we are healing,

which is to prove

we are worthy.

But here is what I really

want to know.

What is the name

of your neighbor?

Do they sit alone

every day with their tea?

Which loved one

did you call today

and does hearing

that question soothe or sting?

What have you learned

from the land

right under your feet?

Who last made

you change your mind?

Darling,

did you get enough sleep?

What makes your heart

burst at the seams?

What did you think

about today when you

swept the floor,

when you rinsed out the sink?

Which words still

float in your throat

waiting for their

sweet release?