Alumni Poems

Poems

There is a place called The Center for Hope;
A safe environment that will teach you how to cope.
It sits on Pass Drive and is the color of lemon.
It's a big, bright house full of wonderful women.
The women who work there are caring and sweet.
They are among the most wonderful people you'll ever meet.
They will comfort you, love you, and help you have fun;
Clay Canvas, movies, Lake Tahoe, and even picnics in the sun.
The RA's at the Center are with you day and night;
Through every meal, every outing, every tear, every fight.
They will come to know you both inside and out,
And your visions and goals they would never doubt.
Also at the Center is a very special cook.
She makes wonderful food without even using a book.
Your fears of food she will help you rise above,
Because every meal she makes is made with lots of love.
The Center for Hope is such a therapeutic place.
All the therapists there are such a saving grace.
They'll listen to your story and sit through all the tears,
Offer lots of insight and help you conquer fears.
The Center is one of a kind; it's safe and cheery and warm.
You'll never forget the support you receive or the relationships you form.
The memories and knowledge from this place you should forever savor,
Especially their favorite saying: "Choose the loving behavior!"

—A.H., New York

Blanket of Recovery

With every stitch, with every row
Over time the blanket grows.
Just a pattern to follow, a vision in mind
Balls of yarn, soft to touch, a needle to bind.
Awkward at first, unsure of how long or how tight
With some trial and error the blanket takes flight.
Its progress is varied, sometimes rapid, sometimes slow
That it will eventually be completed is all that I know.
Each skein seems to have its own agenda, its own rate
Life is often complicated, forcing the blanket to wait.
But so long as I return, what's been put on hold is not lost
A few more mistakes and less fluid flow - the restart up costs.
With concentration and awareness, holes and errors can be caught
Pulled out and redone as they occur, rather than destroying the whole lot.
Through patience and perseverance, the result of hard work will finally come
A warm snuggly blanket to curl up in, the reward when all is done.
Made by hand, with some flaws, overlooked mistakes here and there
Though I am human and not perfect, this is my gift to show I care.
Months in the making, a representation, a tangible memory
Of how grateful I am to you for helping me piece together my blanket of recovery.

— M.F., California

Beauty is...

Beauty is not defined by our looks
or by the models in the books.
Beauty is in our smile
it can't be isolated or packed into a file.

Beauty has no boundaries
it is limitless, it has no enemies
Beauty is pure and full of grace
like a beautiful spring day-blowing in the wind- a delicate piece of lace.

Beauty radiates from a person's face.
Within us beauty blooms with such grace.
One knows true beauty by its gentle, humble pace.

Beauty is blooming Lilac flowers
full of fresh scent and mystical powers.
Beauty is a new born baby
when it comes to inner beauty there is no maybe.

With beauty there are no second thoughts
we see beauty as it blooms from our flower pots.
So let us plant those seeds with our self
these seeds are healing: good for our health

Beauty goes beyond physical appearance
so let us stop degrading ourselves,
selling our souls as if they were on clearance.

Because we are worth more than money can buy
don't give in to the "thinness lie"
yes child, its okay to cry
but it's within our minds that we must pry.

We must terminate our self hate
don't give up now- it's never too late.
For it's in our power to change our lonely fate.

Free ourselves we can, from the chain and the bounds
and sing out songs of love with such gentle sounds.
Beauty is found in a single soft peace dove
beauty is in the sky of blue
and the fresh winter dew.

Do you see... that beauty doesn't lye within our exterior body
True beauty is never ugly- nor is it gaudy.

Beauty is in a graceful hummingbird
to it's gentleness we are lured
it's in finding beauty within our soul that we begin to feel cured.

Cured from all our pain-
slow down mind: get out of the fast lane.
Slow down, rest your body, mind and soul
for if we don't we become hard as coal.
And coal takes forever to chip away
don't wait, start a new day.

Feel your feelings: in a field of flowers you should lay
and begin to welcome, open your heart, listen and say
"I’m a beautiful being- in all that I am- at peace and gentle with myself: come what may'

Beauty is accepting our beautiful bodies, sacred, as they are
longing for a different body, we stray a far.

Down again the spiral we go
stop yourself, cancel, and just say no.
Beauty is power
darling, don't look into that mirror and sour.

Find beauty when you're in the nude
for that is the bare beauty and that's only the beginning: the prelude.
We CAN control whether or not we become unglued.

We have choices we can make
don't jump head first into the lake.
Sit on the dock, one foot first and then another
it's to our inner child we need to mother.

Beauty is the dreams that we can catch
and the follow through- move forward and fetch.

Beauty is in the unknown
and slowly stitching up our lives which became unsown.
Dear friend, you are never alone- I love you so
in the wind I feel your presence blown.

We are everywhere with everyone at all times
we are learning to read between the perfection lines.

The essence of those we love stays with us forever
never do those intimate bonds sever.
There is no love switch nor a lever
there is beauty in the fact that unconditional love does last forever.
Beauty and love: we cannot measure
Like we did with our food, counting calories: HA!- we thought we were so clever.

When in fact we were prisoners, sick and weak
because within our hearts there was a leak.
But instead of allowing it to remain broken let's search inside and take a peak.

And start to repair
all of our despair, and damit not compare!!
Not compare to others
because inside of us, we are all LOVERS!

BEAUTY JUST IS!!

It is unjustified and never denied
no matter how many broken hearts or tears we've cried.
There is beauty born again in that release
let our self hate and judgment cease!

Live your life, we all deserve it
watch it and catch with a mitt.
Light the candle that's never been lit
because we are all already a perfect fit!

Own it! Own your life baby!!
Pick up that damn boat of gravy!!

Because above all we are strong women on this journey together
and our journey of recovery and life will last forever!

LIFE is, BEAUTY is, LOVE is, HOPE is, FAITH is, COURAGE is.....
Already within us.
Access it- own it
and remember to always keep your candle lit!

**This poem is dedicated to every woman who is currently or has previously battled an eating disorder; and to those who have sadly lost the battle to an eating disorder. Always remember that within every person there remains a core where ED can never touch, darken or take over. That core is our identity and our true self where we are the most precious and treasured individuals capable of our highest hopes and insurmountable strength. I wish for every woman the best, longest and happiest life ever imagined and free from the depth of pain caused by ED.

— K.B.