You have touched my soul, my friend
And you, and you, and you
Have touched it, brushing by
And each one
Whether quick or lingering
Has brought a part of me to life
That I had buried deep inside
For men were always frightening
Dangerous things to deal with
Things that would cause pain
Close up, retreat inside, put up the walls
No hurt
No hurt like that again.

Then there you were
And you, and you
And even you, whose ideas seemed so strange at first
But gave me insights into who I am
So deep
That I begin to understand.

Each one of you
Each gentle touch
Has brought a part of me to life
That I thought dead
No, more than that
A part of me I'd buried deep so long ago
That I'd forgot was even there
Each touch
Each word
Each perceived smile
Each acceptance of a child, who never was
Has brought a part of me to life
Until, I now no longer can accept a life of darkness
Hidden deep within a child
Within a man
An injured child
An agony I sensed was there
But never knew

And every note you send
Says to a little boy
That he just might not be that bad
That maybe they were wrong
The mean ones
Maybe he only believed those awful things about himself
Because those were the only voices to be heard

I thank you for my feelings
The ones I never had
Even the bad ones: pain and anguish
For that little boy to feel again
Is so amazing
Brings such joy to my soul
That, even when I'm hurt beyond all comprehension
And have been here a time or two
I still rejoice that numb is gone
That there is light
That there is hope
A little boy may find himself
For when he sees your faces smiling down on him
He senses that all that time he spent inside so horribly ashamed...........

Bobby,

I am so convinced that's where it really starts, beginning to feel again, trusting ourselves to feel and face the dangers of feeling again, and then discovering that feeling is the beginning of the road to redemption and not to doom.

Much love,
Larry

Thank you Bobby,

This poem expresses feelings that live deep in my heart. Thanks for putting this into print. This one line I read over and over. Being able to feel is such a blessing!

Love ya

derdle

Bobby,

You are truly amazing.


John