memory man
volume one
By Donald Cohen
Poetry, 160 pages
ISBN: 978-1-59948-177-7
$14.95
This is Volume One of a three volume set. The books may be ordered separately for $14.95 each or as a 3-Pack collection and can be found on the Pure Heart Press page of the MSR Online Bookstore.
Preface / Samples / About the Author
The famous psychiatrist Carl Jung spoke about the first half of life, during which you concentrate on establishing your existence in the outside world. He theorizes, once this is accomplished it is important to develop your inner life; the beginning of a spiritual quest and one’s search for meaning. At age forty-five I entered my second half of life and discovered poetry, and my capacity to feel humanity without trepidation. The language of poetry has allowed me to embrace the journey within myself, and traverse boundaries of the undiscovered self.
I began opening my heart to inspiration that risked leaving old ways of being. Shaking up one’s foundation can feel like you are living on the edge, risking everything familiar. Jung states that as you commit yourself to the process of individuation, meaningful coincidences occur that are beyond cause and effect. As a result came many connections and memories that created a tapestry of words, expressing metaphors for life. This is the story of the “memory man.”
memory man
in his four walls
lie the secrets
of his friends
tiny pieces
of memories
shards of sea glass
shrines of times
passed
life’s joyful
and tragic moments
pieces of places
cherished artifacts
angels watching
paintings dropping
futures connect
past arrives
cat watching
still quiet
comforting the broken
he shares them all
be careful now
don’t touch that
he sees the spirit
living breathing
he protects them all
seeking forgiveness
a room of confessions
contained within his pieces
the human being comes
forth and runs away
the soldiers come
marching
the unicorn rests
history emerges
the beatles sing
james brown screams
sponge bob laughs
a part of you he keeps
smell of woods
leather couches
magazines
peaceful
the memory manMlf 1/15/04
~Mary Feakins to Donald Cohen
Samples
Donald Cohen was born in New
York in 1951 where he spent his childhood. He graduated from the State
University of New York at Buffalo. Dr. Cohen went on to earn his M.S.W.
at Columbia University and his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the California
School of Professional Psychology, located in Berkley, California. He returned
to the East Coast to complete his fellowship in the Department of Psychiatry
at Yale University Medical Center, as well as to begin his private practice.
The author has also created, produced, and hosted the weekly television
and radio show, Kids are Talking. He is a licensed marital and family
therapist, and has had various articles published over the years while
conducting lectures and workshops on subjects related to children, particularly
communication. He is the co-author of My Father, My Son and a children’s
book Milo, My Stray Cat. In addition Cohen is the producer and lyricist
for the rock band “the GIVE.” He is the co-creator of the self-titled
acoustic CD, as well as “the GIVE—Live at the Acoustic Café.”
Both are available on iTunes. The poet and his wife Dee have two children
and reside in Connecticut.