Mary-Joan Gerson

by Mary-Joan Gerson

(Inspired by: Taylor Swift:
‘Honey, I rose up from the dead
…….I do it all the time’)

Hiding the ice cream behind the broccoli does
Not protect me from my nighttime forage.
All gone.
I do it all the time.

Calling one more friend in a crowded morning does
Not protect me from racing to the subway.
I’m breathless.
I do it all the time.

Knowing that one click can save me from series bingeing does
Not protect me from a sleepless night
I’m exhausted.
I do it all the time

And wishing and promising and hoping does
Not protect me from a lifetime of lapses
Perhaps I should accept who I am?

Well, maybe not all the time

Mary-Joan Gerson is a psychologist/psychoanalyst who has written extensively about couples/family therapy and coping with chronic illness.  She also has published 5 children’s books based on the folklore of Nigeria, Brazil and Mexico, one of which has been produced as a children’s musical. She loves learning at LP² as well as travel, painting and photography, and the remarkable richness of New York’s cultural life.  

by Mary-Joan Gerson

Dry branches dressed
With shreds of green

Bent stalks sustained
By wisps of growth

Scattered bursts of
Leaves in red and gold

Yet wet grass persisting
Bushes round and firm

The gloss of sunlight

Is this an end or a beginning?

Mary-Joan Gerson is a psychologist/psychoanalyst who has written extensively about couples/family therapy and coping with chronic illness. She also has published 5 children’s books based on the folklore of Nigeria , Brazil and Mexico, one of which has been produced as a children’s musical. She loves learning at LP2 as well as travel, painting and photography, and the remarkable richness of New York’s cultural life.