Analysand

Today's word is "analysand" ... A person undergoing psychoanalysis.

Issues
Taken in by promises, taken up by greed,
Taken down by our mistakes, taken with our need,
Overwhelmed by circumstance, lost on darkened streets,
We recognize we need some help to untangle problems deep.

So, where to turn for solace, understanding, help or hope,
Who to choose to keep us whole, give us keys to help us cope,
Who can we trust enough to dare to tell the truth most strange,
To whom become an analysand; with whom to engage.

A friend most fiercely loyal, might be a place to start,
Where we know we're safe with the secrets of our hearts.
Or a teacher great and wise in this world's scary calculus,
Or a saint who'll calmly sit and God's point of view discuss.

We might our own counsel keep, until we begin to see,
That a view from a greater distance, might more objective be,
Or we could confide in one another, believing that to share,
Will lighten all our burdens as we one another bear.

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013