ORIGIN POETRY AT PAPER POETRY

Origin

The natural history of a false self

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I did not know the secret that
There is a secret that
I must not know

It lurks in my mind
Hidden in a closet
Which has no key
If I find it I will
Shatter and disappear

It was born before I was
It is in every cell of my body and
My mind
It grew with me suffocating until
I was the only one

I was my father’s understudy but now
I am he

I’m not sure that I am or have a false self. I was a psychiatrist for 50 years. Now that I have retired, I have the opportunity to develop interests, like reading, writing, and exploring interests other than my work.

I am enjoying poetry since it reflects a different side of my identity. It might be a little different than some others, but it reflects my unconscious. I had a lot of psychotherapy but it never touched the parts of my Self that I need to develop.

As part of that exploration into Self, I’ve written this piece for Paper Poetry’s Origin prompt —

Poetry Takes Us Back to Our Roots

Thanks for reading.