They were my safe place
by Jude Kessler, Beatles Author
The following poem was written with love for one of my readers of Shoulda Been There, Kelly. Kelly wrote to me to tell me that all of her life The Beatles had been a "safe place" for her during the nightmare of child abuse. She had endured a great deal of emotional and physical pain, but The Beatles' music had always been a place where she could feel secure and loved and protected.
Kelly's beautiful and poignant letter inspired me to write this for her. Kelly and I hope that this poem will speak to other hearts who have found The Beatles to be a buffer in their lives as well.
And I urge you to find strength in a faith that goes beyond music and lyrics. There IS healing for us all, and faith is the answer.
For Kelly
They were a buffer
Against the dark,
Against the chaos,
Against the screams that were not Beatlemania.
They were
My safe place,
My known against the unknown,
My run-to, go-to shelter after midnight,
My flickering light up in the window,
Home.
Far back as I can go,
Far forward as I can imagine,
Reverse and forward,
Stop and pause...
They were always there:
A net beneath me,
A hiding place,
A room sequestered from the world
A vault where I could hide.
I huddled close beside them
And deftly hid my head,
With
Nowhere Man and Silver Hammer,
Mr. Moonlight, Lovely Rita,
Celebrated Mr. K
Performing feats on Saturday
And standing in the gaps
Of the Helter Skelter in my brain.
Pretty little policemen, guard me.
Octopus's garden, hide me.
I'm on my way home,
I'm on my way home...to you.
In the play-out tracks,
I heard they had a message
(Backwards perhaps and not in tune)
And I am there as well,
Covered in music,
Wrapped in lyrics,
Invisible...
Camouflaged...
Protected.
Sheltered in their sound
You can find me.
I am there,
Buffered.
Jude Kessler is the author of the John Lennon biography, Shoulda Been There.
Published November 27, 2008
This article is Copyright © 2008, Jude Kessler, and may not be reproduced on other web sites or in print, in whole or in part, without expressed permission | 
