Jane Berger Herschlag

Nothing is learned by turning away—

I stare hard at

the woman in the mirror and tell her,

You don’t understand the impact

of not embracing

often.

Much is lost by turning away—

I look again into the mirror,

Think of all that you have

lost by your reticence, your unwillingness

to let the cat, the wolf, and the lamb

leap out of your pen.

So much is saved by turning away

I think, holding in my extremes—

But what has accrued

when you refused the roller coaster,

left it to others to ride

shrieking and giggling?

If I could route out my child years

I could love with abandon;

instead, I remain earthbound,

but with a loyal partner who often

lifts me a bit into the air.

With the wisdom of the unconscious,

at nineteen my priorities were suddenly met.

Attending Herb’s school of love

I learned many of the songs of trees and flowers.

Sometimes I depart from logic

to let my mind fly into

the stratosphere of poetry.

After taking into account

all the pluses and minuses—

not turning away

builds assets.