The Starlight Express

As clowns we clowned in many wards, including oncology. I watched a beautiful movie of a doctor who had cancer. He was a surgeon and in the film he was quite callous of the feelings of patients. When he became sick he realised how it felt to be not cared about, not informed, shown no compassion. As I was watching I thought of Patch Adams and how he tried to convince the medical fraternity of the importance of bringing humanity into the hospital. You may recall he was admitted into a mental hospital. I thought of people I have known who don’t feel for others, I felt compassion for them. Life experience is really what helps you to feel for others. You may be born with empathy, some people just feel detached. When you do reconnect, it is truly miraculous as the love just fills your heart and your only wish is to be able to serve the other. I feel such a tenderness when I am with truly vulnerable people. I also feel honoured to be able to be with them. That is how I feel. Home is truth, home is love and that is the place I wish to live.

HOMEWARD BOUND

The only person I miss
Is you,
I remember you and wonder,
Why this miracle?
How is it possible?
To be the dove,
For love is the mystery
of me.

I am on the Starlight Express train,
For children have sent out a wish for a hero,
And I am answering the call,
It is my calling to answer,
For they have cancer and are terminally ill,
For I have so much to give,
For I can transport them to a new reality,
Where love and kindness is what is real,
And this is the therapy that truly heals.

I think of you fondly,
I think well of you,
For to be well is the true miracle,
And each day is a blessing,
To be free of pain,
To gain new experiences,
Expands your horizons,
For how lucky are we,
To be free.

The mountains are the shoulders,
The arms are ridges that stretch out across the land,
For the valley is protected and safe,
The sunlight filters to the ground,
As the autumn leaves fill the gutters,
The magpie flutters,
In unbounded glory,
For the pond becomes a bath,
And the pastels blend into a magic carpet,
Rustling and playing beneath my feet,
Tickling the sidewalk,
Crunching as we walk,
For I am home now.