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.
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.
posted by Al Johnson at 10:16 AM
2 Comments:
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.
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
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