ONLY TWICE
has anyone
written a poem about me.
(Search within for the other).
This one was written for me
bu Mairi at the Adlerian School
where I led workshops
July 2013
I share it with you
***************
Simply Pip
He started out an ordinary lad,
Small, indistinct, not really standing out.
And grew and aged and stretched and changed,
Outgrowing his, once comfortable, skin.
He soon became a rebellious teen,
All prickly and challenging and bad.
Not seeing any point in daily school.
No A B Cs would set him up for life.
This ever-troubled, misfit, youth,
Pushed boundaries and set his mind against
The only youth worker who cared.
Rejecting her, before she threw him out.
To stop the rot, she offered him a role,
Not needling, or kicking at the back.
But stepping up, and leading in the way of
Sensible and ‘this is how it’s done’.
And then, he chose to live the way of God.
To his surprise the realisation grew-
This former grieved and troubled youth
Was just the kind of guy God sought.
His mission now became to love.
To reach out to the ones the world had shunned.
To walk the paths that others feared to tread.
Befriending many, loveless souls.
Along the way he met his own true love
And made her ‘Mrs Beautiful’.
A girl to matche his empathy and strength,
And keep him company on life’s uneven path.
In time the pair were blessed in pure delight
With baby ‘Shielas’, Joy and Ann.
One born within the sight of prison bars,
The other in a room above Hell’s Angels’ den.
Connie-Pops is now his dearest love.
A grandchild to bless his later years.
And a flat he’s bought, to put down roots.
Fulfilling the lowest of Maslow’s needs.
Because he knows that growth does not reside
In any place called comfortable.
He’s lived, and thrived, on urban streets.
His aim? To plant, and nurture, seeds of hope.
Today he is a most inspiring man.
To all he meets, he’s simply known as Pip.
Still fighting for the rights of every, loveless, soul.
And telling each that they are ‘Beauty-full’.
© Mairi Perks 2013