I am one of them – guest post by Jim 4


My dear friend, Jim, of the poetry blog, A Wrinkled Man – Un Hombre Arrugado  (poetry, notebook and occasional photography),

posted this poem recently (on 10.19.2010 to be exact) and it so resonated with me that I asked if I could post it on my blog.  He said yes.  His poetry often “knocks me out” with its precision, humanity, humor and fine-crafting.I hope you will be as touched by this poem as I was and encourage you to visit his blog regularly.

I am one of them

The fact is,
there are sores, cankers and cavities
among people. Damage has been done to them and healing is unlikely.
For some it begins when they are very young, and the degree to which pain infiltrates their lives
is not beyond their imagination. It is exactly what they imagine.
To them, when you are met, you are another potential source of harm,
disillusionment, proof of everything that is wrong with this world. You are that.

I meet people like that, there are many
and my first impulse is to take them at better face value, someone who might trust,
who might share a bit of joy in a moment of passing acquaintance,
but I am caught up short and hardened by their posture, their back up against a wall,
their hackles raised, their inviolate space invaded.
I back away. Why not?

There is a balance to those damaged people,

(everything is in balance. even when perspective tips all the way in one direction, the pull in the opposite direction simply grows until

it becomes the gravity that restores equilibrium)
and the fact is
there are healers among people.
For some it begins when they are very young, and the degree to which joy imbues their lives
is not beyond their imagination. It is exactly what they imagine.
To them, when you are met, you are another potential source of pleasure,
delight, proof of everything that is right with this world. You are that.

I meet people like that, there are many
and my first impulse is to enjoy them, this is someone who might trust,
who might share a bit of joy in a moment of passing acquaintance,
and I am reassured by their nature, their willingness to accept me as I am and look for the joy in me.
I get closer. Why not?

I am one of them.


About Candelaria Silva

Candelaria Silva-Collins is a marketing, community outreach and programming consultant; writer; and trainer/facilitator who lives in Boston, Massachusetts. She has designed and facilitated workshops on a wide variety of topics including communication, facilitation, job search skills, team building, and parenting issues. She currently coordinates the Community Membership Program of the Huntington Theatre Company. Her work as Director of ACT Roxbury was profiled in several publications, including The Creative Communities Builders Handbook. Candelaria’s children’s stories, short stories, essays and reviews have been published in local and national publications and she is an active blogger. Her publications include the booklets, Handling Rejection; Pushing through Shyness: Networking Tips when You’re Shy, Slow to Warm Up or Just don’t Feel you Belong; and Real Questions about Sex & Relationships for Teens: A Discussion Guide for Parents. She has served on the boards of Goddard College, Wheelock Family Theatre, Boston Foundation for Architecture, and Discover Roxbury. She is currently Chair, Designators of the Henderson Foundation.

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