Ode to Group

I listen

but I cannot always hear

I bear witness

to the unknown and to fear

I observe that

which my eyes can see

I would talk if my tongue

the cat set free

I contribute

in ways that best I can

I am inadequate, but of course!

I am a man.

So listen

and you all will know

that Large Group

is quite the show

men, women and others

of renown,

please smile –

remove your frown

for we are lucky

though not it feels,

to be here dancing

jigs and reels

around analysis

deep and wide

the Unconscious,

we cannot divide

For we know it not

nor shall we ever

Jung, Freud and Foulkes

were not so clever

so, what chance have we

one and all?

Forget it now,

let’s leave the hall

to find a beer,

and share our stories

of childhood, loss

and our glories

For it is there

where we shall grow

and friends and strangers

will truly know

who we are

and what we need

how we live

and why we breathe

One chance left

for us all to say,

That which we couldn’t

throughout the day

to whomever we want

or needs to hear

our inner mind,

our inner fear.

***

Thank you for hearing

this GA ditty

and thank you to

the GASi committee

Not all was ideal

just like life

so let us acknowledge

the trouble and strife

that happens each day

and causes frustration

Relax! it’s part

of our education

to continue improving

and moving forward

Next year all

shall be beautifully ordered.

Yeats wakens us –

Arise now and go

to where water laps

and rivers flow

So go now and find

your Inishfree

and remember, in your Dreams, begins

Responsibility.

Having worked in business for over thirty years, Robert now runs his own coaching practice and is currently qualifying in Group Analysis with The School of Psychotherapy in Dublin. He has an interest in the human condition and writes when compelled and feels he has something to say worth hearing.

Robert shared his poem with other Summer School participants, saying that “When writing, I would typically spend many hours, days, weeks and months refining a piece before being satisfied with it. In this instance, the poem was written in less than an hour with no editing or re-writing. It was written to be read to the Group towards the end of the Summer School and it makes sense in that context. I never considered it being published”.