James Brandenburg received his certification as a Poetry Therapist on April 20th in Portland Oregon at NAPT's 2007 Annual Conference. You can learn more about poetry therapy on the website for NAPT (National Association for Poetry Therapy). While at the conference, he was interviewed by Margot Van Sluytman of Palabras Press. He shared some fabulous insights into the process of writing and the relationship of poetry as art and healing.(click here to read the interview by Palabras Press)

An article featuring James Brandenburg and his certification as a Poetry Therapist appeared in the San Antonio Life Section of the San Antonio Express Newspaper on June 26, 2007. (click here to read the San Antonio Express News article ) You can also find the poem Café con Leche, which was published on June 16, 2007.

To view an informative powerpoint presentation by James Brandenburg about Poetry Therapy click here.

Poems for Healing by James Brandenburg

The following are descriptions and links to poems that have helped me and others in the healing process.

“Ambiguity” When I was going through my divorce, I was tired, irritated, confused, angry, abandoned, isolated, and lonely. I was caught between my feelings (which I wanted to deny) and the “shoulds” of the world. I went from one extreme to the other. I was looking for a certain reality, but my heart was leading me in another direction. The poem “Ambiguity” was a reflection of how I was feeling at that time, and writing it helped me to cope with a very difficult situation.

“Tora Bora”I run international support groups at Clark High School. “Tora Bora” is a narrative I wrote for Hanifa, one of my international students from Afghanistan. It is a true story about the devastation of war. When the Taliban attacked Hanifa’s village in Afghanistan, she, her mother, and siblings fled to the mountains of Tora Bora in an old pickup truck. Her father stayed behind to protect their house. When Hanifa and her family were in the mountains, she accidentally fell from the pickup truck and broke her back. For two months, she had no medical treatment for her back. When they returned to their village, the Taliban had murdered their father and had plundered their belongings. They fled to Pakistan where they stayed in a refugee camp for five years. From Pakistan, they fled to San Antonio, Texas, where they live today. Hanifa has difficulty standing, walking, and sleeping. She takes medication for her back; she has serious back injuries. Tora Bora was a powerful metaphor for the students. Many of my international students had fled their countries and had lived for years in refugee camps. Although “Tora Bora” was specific to Hannifa’s situation, it was their story also.

“Fifteen” I wrote “Fifteen” when I was going through my divorce, and my daughter Naomi was 15 years old. It seemed at that time that I was the child and that my daughter was taking care of me. Divorce is devastating for adults, but it is even more devastating for children. Parents going through a divorce should work through their problems with each other, and should never burden the children with their issues.

“My Father” I wrote “My Father” in remembrance of my father, who left us when I was three years old. He was dying of tuberculosis and passed away nine years later in a V.A. hospital. This memory was the last memory I had of my father before he passed away. It is a memory embedded in my unconscious. This memory has helped me put his death in perspective.

“Death Mask” I wrote “Death Mask” years after my brother was killed in Vietnam. He was killed in Vietnam in 1968. I wrote “Death Mask” 30 years later as a tribute to him. There has not been a day in my life when I have not thought about my brother. What a tragedy this was in our lives! We must stop the madness of war. We must look at the enemy as our brothers and sisters.

“The Dance” & “Traces” I wrote “The Dance” and “Traces” after I had broken up with someone. When you really love someone, and it is not reciprocated, you sometimes feel like a scarecrow. I did. I felt like I was made of straw. When you really love someone, part of that person stays in your memory. “Traces” reflects a love that was never lost, but a love whose pain has been dealt with.