On neglect and silence!
Do not pass this way, my friend,
do not look this way or send
your muted thoughts of sympathy
for all that has become of me;
for I am ghost upon this day;
I do not sing;
I do not pray;
The world cares not, for what, was done;
neglected here,
left unsung;
now darkened windows of my soul
shall not look out
shall be my gaol.
copyright 2012 Niamh Clune.
About Dr Niamh
When I was a little girl (a very, very long time ago), I used to love learning new, really big words like ‘discombobulate’. As I grew, my love of words grew too, until I loved them so much, I could not stop writing them down.
One day, as I was scribbling a particular word, a very peculiar thing happened. The word shouted at me, “Stop! Don’t put me there!” As you can imagine, I was shocked and nearly fell off my chair. When I recovered somewhat, I said to the word, “Could you stop shouting, please? I am not used to it.”
Can you guess what happened next? No! I thought not. The word said, “I might be small, but I will misbehave if you do not use me properly. I will not tell the story you would like me to tell. I will say something entirely different!”
I dropped my pen. I hoped that by dropping my pen, the word would stop talking. Alas! It did not. It carried on chitterchobbling, even after the ink had dried. I was in a pickle. I could not allow my words to run away with my story, now could I?
I don’t know about you, but when this sort of thing happens, there is only one thing left to do if you prefer not to spend your time arguing. “Very well,” said I. “I will do as you ask if you will just be quiet and allow me to concentrate.”
Since that day, I have been paying special attention to every word I invite into my stories. After all, a story should say exactly what it means to say and not be led astray.
With love from Dr. Niamh,
Ph.D in Learning Through The Imagination and Founder of Dr Niamh Children's Books. www.drniamhchildrensbooks.com
Beautiful and sad. I know it’s been too long since we’ve talked, but I feel our souls know each other’s through the mute symphony of passion and despair of surviving abuse and inner struggles. Love, Tonia
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Many thanks Tonia.
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This is lovely. Thank you for sharing this.
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Thank you, Juliette.
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Reblogged this on A Bipolar Journey Through The Rabbit Hole and commented:
Reminds me a little of how I am feeling today. I lost my last Grandparent today, and am feeling a bit of the ghost today. Best to just not speak today.
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silence as a partner
with neglect
is a soul killer.
if it happens
and you’re lost
you’ve got to
shout louder .
wishing doesn’t help
no one’s luck matters
they’re mean unkind people
that are such blind
who don’t care people
they let you starve
look straight ahead people
don’t give a damn
too scared to care people
rather walk away
then get involved people
one day they will die
no one will come people
silence and neglect
don’t need to know these people
there are those who care
the one’s you’ll know people
reach out and take a hand
with the kind people
you’ll find smiling face
you’ll be surprised people
you’re not alone in this world
around these wise people
j.k. the secret keeper
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I love this, Jennifer! Clever poem!
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Thank you Niamh. Your poem moved me deeply. It is so powerful! It needed a response. It felt different here on your blog then where i first read it and responded. Your poetry is more embedded here. More secure. zi love it here very much. jennifer
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Love it – very powerful!
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Thank you, Erik! Difficult subject matter, I know!
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