Rick Belden is am amazing guy, a friend and I have to say a hero of mine. Since we started talking some eighteen months ago he has become an inspiration to me. I owe him a debt of gratitude and thanks for the support he has given me since we first connected.
Rick Belden is the author of Iron Man Family
Outing: Poems about Transition into a More Conscious Manhood. His book
is widely used in the United States and internationally by therapists, counselors,
and men’s groups as an aid in the exploration of masculine psychology and men’s
issues, and as a resource for men who grew up in dysfunctional, abusive, or
neglectful family systems. His second book, Scapegoat’s Cross: Poems about Finding
and Reclaiming the Lost Man Within, is currently awaiting publication.
He lives in Austin, Texas.
Secret Children
a desert a wasteland cold. something terrible thousands and thousands of crude wooden crosses the skeleton of a child nailed to each and every one close your eyes and imagine this imagine your own child in this place imagine yourself. winter winds whip the bones of these children rib cages frozen in fear decades ago rattle but keep their secrets still. between the bones there is ice inside the ice there is fire within the fire there is a secret the secret that keeps them here. each child was brought here by an adult a trusted friend brought here exploited split open left here left to hang in this bitter wind and commune with ghosts. the child never had a choice. these children have families that love them dearly blind families that will see no evil deaf families that will hear no evil dumb families that will speak no evil. families that cannot believe a child's body knows the difference between fantasy and reality ... are you sure you're not making this up? families that cannot believe their beautiful children could have been taken away ... but you were such a happy child! families that cannot believe this could ever happen to their own children ... not in this family! families that cannot believe the words sexually abused could ever describe their own children ... no secrets in this family, by god! it is not too late for these children they await resurrection and salvation they ache to be healed but cannot do it alone fathers mothers brothers and sisters lovers spouses families and friends they need you. take them down from these crosses trust them welcome them into your heart love them hold them close and warm their coldest places hear them feel their fire and honor it believe them. one secret at a time one child at a timebelieve them.
The secret children by Rick Belden, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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