Seasons | A Poem by Bonnie Burka Shannon

Once he took
Her breath away
Now
More often
Than not
Her tranquil moods
Are evicted unexpectedly

Melancholia,
With intermittent
Periods of serenity,
Is customary now

You are you
And she
Is she
No longer
Aligned parts
Of an integrated
Whole

A realization surfaces
That a successful union
Is not always
One of
Endless ecstasy

But just a display

Of  one of
The four seasons
Of a longstanding union

Still leaving both

Aching for
How it was
Once
When he took
Her breath
Away


From 1981 to 2006, Bonnie Burka Shannon, M.S., M.S., Ph.D., LMFT, worked for the Los Angeles Unified School District for many years as a psychologist and administrator of District Psychological Services.  Her portfolio included architect and first Coordinator of the LAUSD's ground-breaking Suicide Prevention Program, which included being nominated for an EMMY for a youth suicide prevention video she co-wrote, as well as multiple TV and national and local  public appearances. As an LMFT, she has trained medical personnel in disaster preparedness via a FEMA grant and currently provides pro-bono bereavement counseling to those whose family members are dying or have died of various forms of cancer.  She is a consultant for school districts, other groups and individuals regarding educational and mental health issues. Additionally, she is the Co-Vice President of Programs for Long Beach-South Bay CA Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (LB-SB CAMFT) and serves on CAMFT�s statewide Continuing Education Program Application Committee (CEPA).  In addition to having obtained a license as a Marriage and Family Therapist in California as well as Virginia, Dr. Shannon earned a certificate in Gerontology and Master�s degrees in Reading/Special Education and School Psychology and obtained, as well, a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology.