I choose a cotton and polyester blend
in periwinkle blue for my second project,
a scarf to add a splash of color
to my grey wool coat.
One color, one stitch; simple
as pie with a Pillsbury crust
and canned cherry filling.
Knitting is therapeutic;
slows my heart rate,
delivers soothing endorphins
to mend fraying brain cells
while it yields tidy rows.
Lately, though, I clench my jaw
and number eight needles,
tighten yarn into taut knots,
drop stitches and stagger rows
like scattered thoughts
as I wait with my husband
in the ER overnight,
to score a bed in the bughouse
for my only child;
they'll lock him up on a ward
where doctors juggle drugs and doses.
The Tuesday after his second stay,
while we wait for an outpatient visit,
my periwinkle cotton polyester yarn tangles
(like overcrowded cheap spaghetti
abandoned in a pot of boiling water)
then twists around the strap of my canvas bag,
the one with the machine sewn J
in navy blue script on it's front pocket.
So I chew on my lower lip as we
wait in a dimly lit holding room
to see the side show nurse
who will shuffle my son's psych meds
again.
Author notes
No, I'm not frustrated! What makes you think that? 
If you are depressed and/or suicidal, please get help. Here are a few resources:
metanoia ~ http://www.metanoia.org/ ~ http://www.metanoia.org/suicide/
AFSP Association for Suicide Prevention ~ http://www.afsp.org/
NAMI National Association of Mental Illness ~ http://www.nami.org/
Parents, there's help for you, too!
Parental Stress Line ~ 1-800-632-8188 ~ www.parentshelpingparents.org
In a list
A contest entry
- #192 for Winklings and AP Friends by Lyndon.
2500 points, ended November 4, 11 entries
Honorable mention
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Comments
1 - 7 of 7
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It good to vent a person feeling. There more help now for mental illness then in the past. It takes hard and good support system to beat depression. Yet it a daily battle it can sneak up on a person so fast. Be sure to listen to your love ones. It takes time to get the medication doses to work. Life and joy and love does come back. There are no quick fixes. I am glad you left resources so people in need have a place to go. I truly life the poem it gives voice to those who are similar situations.
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Well Done
Flow is rich and fluid. The line breaks are all good. Comparable in style to Billy Collins as requested. Good job. Good Luck in the contest.
Danni
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you manage to condense so much into such a powerful poem; aunt Joyce. And, of course, your writing is nothing short of brilliant. I can feel the entire gamut of emotion in this piece, and your imagery is sharp and vivid.
Best of luck in the contest.
Zach
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Love the reality of this piece-there is alot of everyday-life in this(though not neccesarily the same situations( If we all lived in Utopia how would we Know?...peace
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Talk about getting your readers' attention!
I loved this piece, although I am sorry for the troubles stirring about.
~*SL*~
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That is putting your emotions out there and getting a little writting done too. I like it, great job.
-
Oh Sis, I don't know what to say! What
a creative way to express your feelings
and events of late. They are changing
his meds again! Poor Tim. Bless all your
hearts.
Jeannie
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