In my words

The Intern

There you are, placing

Your life 

into my unskilled hands

Sitting across 

at a forty-five degrees angle

Your eyes mask the pain that lies

beneath

yet courage you had already shown by even stepping

in

I nod, I listen, I paraphrase

I look for clues in your body, subtle

They say

I search, I think, I formulate

I share it with you, it’s two ways

They say

I keep in the moment and view

Myself

through your eyes, feeling

your pain, your fear, your anguish, your shame:

Who is this in front of me?

Does she have problems 

like me?

Does she feel hurt, pain, anguish and shame?

Doe she yearn for comfort, for a good life

ahead?

Does she feel the world collapsing

on her?

Does she fight, freeze, fall or feign? 

Does she share her pain, her anguish, her shame?

Who helps the help?

I pull away. I pull away.

Don’t look at me that way. 

The focus is on you

today

Well, if you must know, I have my bouts

Of pain, anguish and self-doubt

I speak to my peers, debrief

They say

But truth be told, they too

have their burdens to see through

And others, though they earnestly offer kind words

I have heard, nay even say, them many times a day

I’m a therapist you see

Only I can help me

But come on now, that’s not the point, is it?

I’m here to help 

You

and so the focus

should and must 

never 

be

Me.