Adopted
A short poem about not belonging and wondering if I was adopted as a child. It's also about my new adopted recovery family. ADOPTED Twelve or thirteen years old: Nobody hears me. I don’t belong in my family. I wonder if I was adopted. I don’t fit...
Why?
In order to regain a best connection with my inner young adult, I decided to listen to all my old cassette tapes (more than 150!). Thanks to osteopathic care, I suffer less from hyper-acousia, and have become able to listen to music again, but no more than one or two...
My Linus
When I was a kid, I had a crush on Linus, the character in the “Peanuts” cartoon. Linus had an oppressive older sister, Lucy, whose dictatorial ways he had to manage, sometimes avoiding her, often obeying her, occasionally defying her. He took refuge in his blanket,...
ACA Affirmations Project Underway
The Literature in Development Subcommittee has taken on the project of proposing one set of ACA Affirmations for our fellowship to evaluate. As you may know, an earlier committee drafted a set of 23 rights for an ACA conference-approved Bill of Rights. There are 23...
Meet Me
Meet me when I wake up before my prayers so that I can have a smoke...Meet me at the coffee pot so that I can feel the coffee and tons of sugar glide down my throat...Meet me after breakfast while I put on my house and coat...Meet me at lunchtime instead of eating I...
Locomotive Codépendante
En grandissant, les seules façons d’obtenir un fragile droit à l’existence étaient: 1) voyager à l’étranger, de préférence dans des lieux perdus ou extraordinaires ; 2) obtenir des diplômes médicaux, ou au moins scientifiques (sciences humaines et littérature étaient...
Pigeonhole
Hello fellow co-worker. Hello fellow churchgoer. Hello fellow traveler. Hello potential friend. If I share my trauma with you, Will you hear me? Will you see my humanity? Will you hear my heart? Or will you analyze and...
Values in Action
Step Four: Values in action defines me! I can say, “I value honesty.” What strategies do I use to show I am committed to being honest? Faced with a choice between saying “I don’t agree,” and, for example, changing the subject or not responding to someone who I fear is...
Step One Is Not A One-Time Only Step
Wishful thinking isn’t prayer. I have discovered limits, if I have worked Step One. No matter how passionately I may have hoped I could get away with it—not suffer consequences—I have admitted I am powerless over alcohol or drugs, no matter who is using them. When...
Blindsided by Suicide
To my fellow travelers: this month marks the tenth anniversary of my brother’s final decision; the incomprehensible decision to end his life. I wrote this poem three years ago and I’m sharing it now to honor my brother and to offer my heart to those experiencing...