New Rooms

New Rooms

Oxford is full of new rooms

and students,

and tourists,

and push bikes.

Its dreaming spires

are photographed

and painted,

captured in time.

They are visited

and venerated.

They offer hope

to those who aspire

and charm those

who would simply adore

the pleasure of architecture.

But if you are poor,

if you are homeless

or if you are schizophrenic

Oxford has no room.

 

01/09/12

Reviews

[Audrey Howitt]

Sad that--I traveled in Europe this summer and felt way in some of the cities I visited--where were the homeless, the mentally ill--you capture the emotion in a set of facts--a vision--quickly--and make the reader feel

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Thank you Audrey. I have worked with people with mental illness for decades and now work in Oxford. We have closed thwe asylums and the community does not care!

[Audrey Howitt]

In the 1970's then governor Ronald Reagan closed down all the mental health health hospitals in California promising community mental health programs -they never happened--so now the homeless population and general prison population has so many mentally ill--and yes, no one seems to care

[John Alexander McFadyen]

You seem to know the story. Are you involved in mental health? The exact same thing happened here!

[Audrey Howitt]

I am a licensed psychotherapist--so I have spent a lot of time with clients--mostly, I sing and teach voice these days

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Less frustrating than trying to cater for ther menatllly ill?

[Audrey Howitt]

I started teaching voice as I was doing my hours for licensure, and found that I really loved it--then completed some advanced training as a voice teacher--and have done some work with the issue of peak performance and performance anxiety as relates to singing---I think about working again in private practice as a therapist--but I am not "behaviorally" inclined and that is all the insurance companies want to see these days--so at a crossroads with it

[victoria]

A beautiful city rich in architectural history, dreamy spires indeed.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Thanks Victoria