One Last Poem: Recent Episodes
David M Naylor
After surviving a near fatal brain injury David has had to learn how to live again. There is loss of memory and identity yet there is no loss without gain. Whilst lying in hospital a song played in his mind, then another and he realised he'd once written them. They were asking to be sung and they gave him the words for his One Last Poem.
This episode is about the time I met Stephen Hawking and the message he gave me to pass on.
Feeling a little lost I went to a friend to ask for help. She sent me on a journey that took me to Cuba and a song was born.
Havana is a story about how if we ask for help, watdh out for the signs, and folow our heart, magical things can happen
The story of the farmer and his son and how something we may think of as a crisis at the time, may turn out to be a blessing.
Manchester City F.C. used to play such an important part in my life, but when I lost my memory, the part they played was over.
Today I stand in the distance, see them triumphant and smile.
Fear is said to be 'False Evidence Appearing Real' but it certainly feels real enough sometimes! I've had fear of failure and even fear of succeeding but this past couple of weeks it's been the fear of asking. To the question 'How do we get past fear?' I still don't have an answer but I'm following the advice of someone dear to my heart. She once told me to 'lean in' so I'm leaning, going towards it and am getting ready to ask it to dance.
This episode is inspired by the 50th birthday i very nearly didn't live to see. It talks about the power of transformation and how we can all see ourselves in the stars.
How letting go of the past leads us towards the unknown. Rather than fear that unknown though, we can choose to embrace it.
On May 5th it was two years to the day that i was taken into hospital with a brain injury. This is the story of what was a very special day.
The beauty of brain injury and the joy of forgetting.
Forgetting the most basic things and a loss of short and long term memory can be frustrating. There are however many gifts that go with it, one of which is minimizing the fear of rejection. It is hard to feel rejected when you forget that you even asked.
Sometimes when you're bruised and battered it's okay to lie down and rest your tender heart. We don't always have to understand, we can just be.
Continuing the theme of letting go.
When we shed a skin it means a part of us dies so that a new part can come alive. This is a story of the fear of putting an old skin back on and how i found some resolution.
Perhaps the story never ends, the only way to find out is to keep writing.
I don't remember writing any of the songs or when they were written. Yesterday the songs told me it's okay that i don't remember. It's okay because he memory is in the music.
I was going to walk away but my instinct said "Stay".
Then i looked in the glass and my judgement did pass.
As Joni Mitchell sang "You don't know what you've got 'till it's gone..."
Often the little things have the biggest reasons...
After a deep, deep sleep i woke up one morning with a song in my mind. I realised that i'd once written the song and it took me on a journey. It was gently whispering, asking to be sung.
Often we need reminding how far we've come and by taking small steps, how far we will go.