“Remember to retire into this little territory of your own.”
— Marcus Aurelius
One of my all-time favorite coping strategies* is to have a lavish inner sanctuary—an imaginary place of refuge and safety—and visit it often. I wrote more about this in my essay “Creating an Inner Sanctuary” as well as in my narrative poem “Self-help on a cloudy morning.” Now, here’s a song about it, too!
*(These days I’m less focused on “coping” and more on noticing and accommodating my needs, but I still benefit from spending time in my inner world!)
Tower Song lyrics
Sometimes my world feels overwhelming,
with people pressing in.
I start to question my decisions
and crack under my skin.
I want a door to walk through,
then shut for solitude;
but for now, I’m bound out here
in this loud inquietude. But…
(chorus)
Inside I’ve got a tower
in a castle made of stone,
in a kingdom in a magical
dimension all my own
that no one else can enter,
where I take care of just me.
Come back, my soul, remember
here’s your door; you have the key.
Because it’s my imagination,
no one else can see.
I make up whatever feels helpful
and change it as I please.
And when the world around me
feels rough, and close, and mean,
my world inside is where my mind
can start a whole new scene. For…
(chorus)
There’s a sadness room, a calm down room,
a scream room, lots of bedrooms,
a huge library, a pool, a beach,
gardens, forests, caves, and springs;
and rooms for all my past me’s—
there’s a child painting, there’s an angsty teen—
and helpers who are all actually me:
a nurturing mother, a wise crone,
flame-throwing soldiers, and the me on the throne;
and high above it all,
a tower rising tall,
with me till the end,
where burns the flame of my inner light
that’s mine to guard and tend. Yes…
(chorus)
