Saturday, April 22, 2006

Lifted hands

Last night I watched an ABC Prime Time two-hour special. It included video footage of a teenage girl who jerked her hands up to her head when her stepmother hollered at her. I've jerked my hands up to my head many times like that. I assumed that the girl in the program had good reason to do so also. Here is a poem that was born from watching that girl reflexively protect herself just as I have done, and still sometimes do:

Lifted hands

Some people praise
the Lord with hands lifted high.
But I quickly raise
my hands to protect my head.
Oh, Lord, you turned
the water into wine
to help a marriage feast.
Please turn the lifting
of my hands to protect
me from the beast,
to reaching up
to you for help
so my raised
hands can praise.

2 Comments:

Blogger JahStorm said...

God Bless You for your work. It is very important and can help many people. I work with children in a residential treatment facility, and many of those children have histories of abuse. From my interaction with them, I kmnow how such can devastate a person and almost totally invalidate their lives.

Keep up the good work, please.

~Uncle Jah.

7:11 AM  
Blogger Yesterdays_ashes said...

Hi Al,

I started watching that episode too. It was a haunting reminder of myself when I was young. I still find myself flinching over loud sounds or raised voices.

Your poetry is absolutely beautiful. Thank you for sharing your words.

Safe hugs,

Tina

8:05 PM  

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