Interior Castle, The Poem by Brother Jonathan Gardner

These 'reptiles' won't go away.
They curse and shout, and do so, so near.
They are here to stay.
They live in the dark recesses where they hold sway,
And you retreat and never go here.
These 'reptiles' won't go away.
The more you recoil, the more they may
Take control of your life so dear.
They are here to stay.

The sight of them is awful; there is a smell of decay.
In desperation you shed a weary tear.
These 'reptiles' won't go away.
So don't recoil; face them in the light of day.
Their only 'weapon' is your exaggerated fear.
They are here to stay.

And don't resist them, embrace them and say
'You are a friend, fiend, and it is you who will obey! '
These 'reptiles' won't go away.
They are here to stay.


[Brother Jonathan Gardner]
Copyright © ®2008, Brother Jonathan Gardner. All rights reserved.

Notes:
The poem is based on the work on St Teresa of Avila's work entitled 'The Interior Castle'. In that writing she talks of 'mansions' within the soul, and some in the basement contain those dark areas of our life which we'd prefer to keep secret, which she refers to reptiles, which (as any life coach will also tell you) must be confronted, and as a Buddhist might tell you, must be befriended.

The poem is in the style of a villanelle. The rhyme is ABAABA. In addition, line 1 ie repeated in lines 6,12,18, and line 3 is repeated in lines 9,15 and 19, in typical villanelle style.