inner child

I find myself in odd moments

repeating a nursery rhyme

out of the blue

complete with the hand movements

 

Crazy, you say

for a 41 year old woman

to be singing about a rained on spider

without a small child

anywhere near?

 

I was starting to think so.

 

But then I realized

that it has been a season of

spirit drenching rain.

 

One catastrophe biting

at the tail of the next.

 

So my inner child came out to play.

Smile, she said.

the sky is blue, she said.

The rain brings new life, she said.

 

. . . and the eensy weensy spider went up the spout again

Author's Note

just glad the words are finally raining

Reviews

[Marie Anzalone]

there is a belief in shamanism, that great trauma or hurt causes a piece of us, in the form of a lost child, to run away and hide where it is safe (or sometimes, these pieces). It is believed that it protects at least part of us from the worst of the pain. The problem is that when we hide from pain, we hide from joy as well. Their reappearance in our lives, it is believed, tell us when we are healing.

[Emily B]

Found out on Saturday that my mother has planned her wedding for next Wednesday. She thought it was a pretty good joke that i could give her away. I should be superwoman by now if what doesn't kill us really makes us stronger

[Marie Anzalone]

good lord. if it makes you feel better, my own mother once eloped with a man I detested. they passed by my house, thought of inviting me, then decided to go snowshoeing instead.

[H.M. Eccher]

That makes 2 of us. I didn't detest the man, but I didn't love him either, and they did elope without inviting me.

[Marie Anzalone]

gotta love it...

[Emily B]

Always fodder for poems

[Marie Anzalone]

I'm thinking bigger. Like, novel sized

[Emily B]

My husband brought home dead poets society today because i was huddled on the couch sick, hadn't seen it in years and years

[Marie Anzalone]

oh what a great movie! I had a copy of it in Connecticut, maong my modest collection of great movies pickes up in bargain bins over the years.

[Emily B]

On his death, millions of folks felt cheated because Robin Williams always made them laugh. There were a number of movies with a substantial and meaningful message, i wondered how they never noticed especially when manye of those dealt with suicide directly

[Marie Anzalone]

very astute observation, one that I actually did not pick up on until you mentioned it

[paul]

wow. amazing review.

[kmartell]

Very nice indeed.. though I had an attack-spider who used to come into my bed at night and bite me.

[Emily B]

spiders can be very mean

[Beccy]

The inner child is always with us; can bring salvation, order to a disorderly world; though sadly not always.

I found this a quite beautifully thoughtful poem.

Beccy.

[anonymous]

I absolutely loved this! We all have our inner child in us somewhere and you did a really good job describing that. Thank you for sharing!

[Raja Anjana Kothapalli]

So my inner child came out to play... smile she said...
Excellently written, Emily Burns!☺

[katja]

this is a lovely, whimsical piece of writing on how we hide behind carefree façades which slowly begin cracking from the inside out...
... much enjoyed
~yekaterina

[paul]

spectacular. amazing, the way you string together words ..

[Gravity]

I love this so much! Beautifully written. :-)

[jacob erin-cilberto]

my inner child never goes away....

i just watch that spider in envy, he knows where he is going and why---my web seems spun haphazardly...

i like the rain....i like this poem.

jacob

[Rudi J.P. Lejaeghere]

It's always good when it rains words in a poets life, it makes the paper furtile. I see you have cultivated a beautiful garden of feelings. This poem is one of the gorgeous flowers in it.

[Emily B]

Thank you so very much!!!

[aacpuente]

I love how you play the words, simple yet so meaningful when read out loud. ". . . and the eensy weensy spider went up the spout again" *thumbs up*!!