Patient Poems

Ode To Pine Lodge

Between these walls of brick and stone
We stand apart, but not alone
For with the Grace of God above
The main supports are beams of love.

Sorrowed souls walked through these doors
To take small steps on caring floors
The wealth of knowledge that abounds
Is spread around the giving grounds.

The gift of life is so divine
It’s shown here in majestic pine.
The sun, the moon, the star lit sky
Keep watchful vigil o’er you and I.

To see an alcoholic's smiling face
We should all thank God we’ve got this place.
So when you wake a bright spring morn
Thank the Lord above that you were born.

As I sit here and write this poem
To a place I love as much as home.
I know I’ve flourished, I know I’ve grown
Between these walls of brick and stone.

Tom B - 1989

To All My Friends At Pine Lodge

I walked through these doors full of fear and shame.
With nothing to fear, but all to gain.
I was lost in my hurt, with no love of self
With the hope to put all of that up on the shelf.

As I learnt about love from the counsellors here
I sure found it easier to deal with my fear.
To remember the past is the past and LET GO
I found the love in me was easier to show.

I can share my true feelings with my friends in this place
And have learned not to feel like such a disgrace
The doors that were once locked to never be opened
Have been knocked down, the lock has been broken.

If I give all I have to the Man up above.
I can enjoy what I have and experience true love
I am eternally grateful for what I have learnt
And now I don’t feel like I always got burnt.

If I learn not to worry take a day at a time
I experience joy, rather than rack my mind.
God really does work in mysterious ways
I’ll let him take charge of the 24 hours of today.

Friends come and go, leave us, but I know from the start
I will have them for always, right here in my heart.
I will love myself, share the experiences of life
And live in contentment, rather than strife.

What I’ve learnt here at Pine Lodge the past twenty-eight days.
Have marked any new path & shown me the ways.
I will work my program and be honest at best
Nothing will I fear, I will be at rest.

Lisa R – 1998