Alone Together, formerly published bimonthly and printed in hard copy, was created to serve as forum, counselor, and inspiration for those who have a background of abuse and wish to heal from the resulting wounds.
Now moving to this online blog format, our mission is the same, to give a voice to the lonely and unheard, to lend encouragement to the downtrodden, to share suggestions for healing as well as stories of trials and triumph, and to provide education about the pervasive existence and the traumatic results of child abuse. We welcome your contributions of art, poetry, essays, articles, and stories that relate to these goals.
After too long a moratorium, as editor of the newsletter/forum for adult survivors of childhood (and adult) abuse and trauma, I’ve found a way to make Alone Together available again. Our friend, who was going to take it over and put it online, because of technical difficulties, personal setbacks, and injuries, has not been able to do so. If any of you have tried to visit her site, www.twistedswitch.com, you have seen that it is temporarily parked. Until she is able to get it going, and maybe in conjunction with it thereafter, we will use this blog to share the poetry, articles and art that has been sent to us; with permission only, of course.
Our hope for this blog is that anyone who wishes can submit your work here. We will moderate the incoming posts only to assure that nothing pornographic or too graphically triggering is allowed. For subscribers who do not have access to the internet, we will periodically print what has been posted and mail it.
To begin, I’ll share a poem that just came to us this morning, compliments of “The Rimers.”
FLIP FLOP, by the rimers
Our host, you may find, is a hard gal to know
For she tends to flip-flop from the very word go
She can be very certain of her stand on a thing
But later moments some changes may bring.
Remorse for a decision, hastily made
and of possible consequences she quickly afraid.
But her habits are ingrained and quite hard to change
although she determines to adopt something strange.
The trouble she has comes believing she can do
the work of a dozen as she bites more to chew.
She has a good heart, but too many a mind
which get her in trouble, though her intentions are kind.
She has trouble saying, no, so most often says, yes,
then struggles very hard to stay ahead of the mess;
the mess of long lists of work to be done,
then switching to a mind that would rather have fun.
No matter which mindset she happens to be in,
a promise is a promise and to break it is sin;
a sin against others, but mostly her heart.
She cannot tell a lie, lest it rip her apart.
She lives with the quandary, both daytime and night,
losing time, thoughts, and things causing self-doubt and fright.
Great optimism then comes flooding back in.
She thinks she can change and must right now begin.
The secret of success she has heard and agrees.
She applies it until that part of her flees.
Then again to herself, more resolutions she makes
and keeps them ’til control, another mind takes.
To exacerbate the matter, no one must know
of this mind-switching ailment so she puts on a show.
Then people expect her to be what often she’s not,
and her steady heart breaks every time she cannot.
She racks up the guilt with each failure or mistake,
but praise for her victories, she refuses to take.
You might think she’s discouraged most of the time
as you contemplate the words of this rime.
However, the optimist is ever on hand
to say, “we can do it; come on. Take a stand.”
And we’re off to the next very worthwhile goal
to accomplish a task that will fulfill our soul.
