A Strange Way To Change Poem by Stephen Katona

Oh how I liked to sing,
Of every last bad thing.
Then my doctor looked me in the eye,
And said, 'I've something different for you to try.'

'Think when you last felt joy.'
At first this made me want to destroy.
I told him of decades gone by,
On nearly every day I'd cry.

But then I saw a shining pearl,
Myself as a little girl.
The doctor said, 'Sit down with your Gran.
And all of your clan.'

'Look at photos of when you were small,
Starting before you could even crawl.
You'll find a way to look ahead.'
So I did as he said.

'You made the world bright, '
Said my mother with delight,
'It was a beautiful sunny morn,
When you were born.'

'In this picture you're one,
Your life only just begun,
Here you're two,
Reading Winnie the Pooh.'

'Now smiling at three,
Sitting on Grand-dad's knee.
Laughing at four,
Playing with teddy on the floor.'

'Chasing your brother at five,
Together both so alive.
When you were six,
You surprised us with your tricks.'

Looking at these times with my mum,
Made me realize how happy I could become.
Photo-album therapy might seem strange,
But it's a fun way to change.

Sharing time with my mother,
Father, Gran and brother,
I felt so much love from everyone,
My lifelong battle felt almost won.