BOTTLED POEMS

My mentor, Harry Bone,

knew there was a poem

in every bottle of wine.

Every therapy session,

is also a potential poem.

The work of a therapist

is to create a memorable

experience of aliveness

in the therapeutic encounter.

Challenge of therapy: help

a person discover the truth

about himself, — something

he knows, but doesn’t know

he knows, much like what

every good poem delivers.

He invited everyone in class

to enjoy a fine crystal glass

of Beaujolais wine to loosen tongues

and open up to the music of the heart.

He searched for words inspired by colleagues,

Tillich and Niebuhr, men of vision, who taught

all that matters is to remove the barriers to love.

His humanity took loving care of us

as if we were his prized race horses,

a living demonstration of how we,

his mentees, would have to provide

unconditional love to our patients.