A Hundred Thanks (for J.B.)

It seems like many moons ago,
When life was caught by undertow,
And all I saw for years ahead,
Were broken dreams and bitter dread,
I happened on a call by chance,
That led me to a hopeful dance,
Of words and wisdom, random choice,
A hundred thanks, you heard my voice.

So there you sat in front of me,
Your calm demeanour set me free,
This gentle soul with smiley eyes,
My broken wing had won the prize,
And so we talked and so we learned,
The depth of which my spirit yearned,
To understand my wayward brain,
A hundred thanks, you heard my pain.

And too I found you love to play,
Guitar and bluegrass strings allay,
Discovering I used to write,
We soon renewed poetic flight,
And fly I did with broken wing,
I learned my weary heart could sing,
And words within cannot be wrong,
A hundred thanks, you heard my song.

The Complicated Bunny wrote,
For endless verse and rhyming quote,
Homework brewing thick and fast,
Unravelling my damaged past,
And still you sat with gentle calm,
Empowering with all your charm,
Challenging the depths I stroll,
A hundred thanks, you heard my soul.

And often raucous banter struck,
The funny bone by way of luck,
An F bomb here, an F bomb there,
My cop mouth aptly poised to blare,
And stories of my days in blue,
You know the bullshit’s always true,
I never did a thing by half,
A hundred thanks, you heard my laugh.

But too were toxic moods unwound,
Of deep regret and hurt profound,
You never wavered in your stance,
Supporting me with just a glance,
You pushed enough to make me think,
Whenever I would start to sink,
I never felt I had to hide,
A hundred thanks, you heard my side.

It seems like many moons ago,
When I was drowning, don’t you know,
I met this cool accomplished dude,
Who taught me crazy fortitude,
A little moxie rhyming here,
For there is more to me than fear,
I’m climbing like a budding rose,
A hundred thanks, you heard my prose.

So here we are, almost a year,
With madness still a bitch to steer,
But sure enough we know the game,
No longer will I be the same,
From diving down that rabbit hole,
I’ve found an everlasting role,
It’s you that taught me strength from strife,
A hundred thanks, you saved my life.

© The Complicated Bunny – 27 May 2021

This is my 100th poem since I started writing again last August (2020). It is a homage to my clinical psychologist, J.B., who has made an extraordinary difference in my life and is the person responsible for encouraging me to pick up poetry again after all these years.