A Poem by Dr. Barry Lubetkin
he, who turned my golden years to lead
he, who stole from me countless hours of truth with his lies
he, whose allies and aides search blindly for a grain of empathy
he, whose insecurity blocks any admission of fault or error
he, who acts as a demon monarch who mocks democracy
he, who has collected syncophants like loose change
he, who has wrecked my belief in checks and balances
he, who threatens my daughter’s safety from a future lech
he, whose very image and voice are chalk on the blackboard of my brain
he, whose snake oil is an injectable disinfectant
he, whose ignorance of empirical truth shames the scientist within me
he, whose hostility towards the world causes foreign friends to shun me
he, whose need for adoration challenges the DSM’s understanding of narcissism
he, who shamelessly compares himself to Lincoln and Salk
he, who invites the storms and heat with his negligence
he, who yearns to be known as HE.
Barry Lubetkin, Ph.D. is the co-director and co-founder of the Institute for Behavior Therapy in New York City. He is the author of numerous academic and popular articles, as well as two popular self-help books, Bailing Out and Why Do I Need You to Love Me in Order to Like Myself. The Institute for Behavior Therapy is the oldest private cognitive behavior center in the United States.