I've posted this poem once before not too long after I started blogging, so those that have been following me since then, please bear with the repeat. I thought this would be a good poem to share over at One Shot Wednesday so I hope you don't mind my posting it one more time.
Even though this poem was inspired years ago by the residents that I work with, for me, I am constantly reminded of how fresh it always remains as we try to teach the skills they may need in life or in work. I am also a firm believer that it applies to all of us in some aspect or another. Hope you all enjoy...
Help Me
What's that? You say you want to help me,
Great, because honestly, I don't know how...
Stand back, watch...okay...but wait...we're done?
How... I didn't get to do anything...
I thought you said you wanted to help,
You did? But you don't understand what I meant...
"I don't know how" does not mean "I can't,"
It simply means that I never learned this...
To help me would be to teach me how,
I need to know all that I am capable of...
Take my hands in yours and guide me,
Step by step, I can learn how to do things...
Sometimes, I may get impatient with myself,
Or you... but I need your understanding...
Sometimes, I may want to quit trying,
But I need your belief in my ability to learn...
What's that? You say you want to help me,
Please then, show me how to do it for myself.
Petrina Lesko
June 1987
a journey filled with many familiar paths and some not yet taken... all leading to the ever-changing destinations just waiting to be discovered.
18 comments:
Hahaa, one great shot at sarcasm I would say
Hi Reflections, nice poem. My opinion (for what it's worth) I did struggle to follow the dialogue a little and wasn't always sure at which point I was switching to a different narrator. Perhaps some quotation marks might help to make it a little easier for the reader.
Excellent. Bravo!
beautifully written with an especially powerful ending. i really like how it isn't always clear who is speaking and who is responding... it makes me feel the interconnectedness between helper and "helpee", and how we are all as human beings constantly shifting back and forth from one to the other.
Yes, that's the way it need to be.. well done..
it's good to have people who help us to help ourselves...take our hands in theirs and guide us..think that's one of the most precious things in life
This is wonderful, Petrina. As a nurse, I know the challenge of allowing/teaching other to be self-sufficient. It's hard sometimes when we're in a hurry. So much easier to "do for." But that doesn't help. Well written. Victoria
It's like the old adage: Give a man a fish, he eats for a day; teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime. Help is something that's often needed, too-often not requested, and way-too-often not given.
Interesting One Shot, Petrina!
Wonderful poem. Enjoyed reading this post ^-^
nev
The lead up stanzas were solid, but they easily could be ditched for that super-fantastic end-stanza (which easily could be turned into a short n' sharp, super-stunning/nailed-that-mofo haiku).
I suggest this respectfully, and gently. This is a solid/okay read as it is, but that last stanza is the core of the work. . . or, maybe, have two versions of the same idea - a shortened/haiku version, and this longer version.
I know you're easily capable of excellence. You've proven it in the past, so no matter what you do, I know you'll make the right choice for you. :)
an amazing message here...and yes, it applies to all of us...
lovely...thank you for sharing.
:)
So well-said. I worked for years as a trainer, and your protagonist says it all. This really spoke to me. I liked it a lot.
Thanks for stopping by my place.
I liked it very much.. thanks for sharing..
ॐ नमः शिवाय
Om Namah Shivaya
Twitter: @VerseEveryDay
Blog: http://shadowdancingwithmind.blogspot.com
Hello!!! Hehehe... Love it so much!!!!! C
What's that? You say you want to help me,
Please then, show me how to do it for myself.
Sometimes we forget or do not understand this is the best kind of help. We should get this poem out to more people.
Great job, Petrina!
A wonderful poem and a great reminder that we all are really the same.
this is great...especially as a parent, for me right now...very helpful:):)
It's an excellent reminder for those of us who are often tempted to do it ourselves instead. Well-written.
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