Oh, ok.

11;47AM, 10/14/14

 

 

 

I'm at the psychiatrist office

and the tall girl in the tan corduroys

is clutching my chart against her

chest like a child

minutes after being scolded.

And i'm asking, what did I do

but not be able to sleep

with a melatonin level at 3

when 10 is operative to drag

the witch thru the covers.

But what of the jackleg

mechanic disguised as my neighbor

working on his 94 Reviera at 2 am,

or the dog howling at the

fire truck thinking its a call

from God. Its, not.

And what of safe harbors

or forgiveness, or the spot

that appears above my left ear

that the Dr. calls stress? And

I tell the woman who calls me

into a lonely room

to presumedly check my vitals,

what the f**k does this have

to do with me going mad? And

she says, I didn't want to frighten you,

and all the while i'm

thinking of how mother would

so disapprove of me

swearing.

Reviews

[Tree]

Ah, s**t. Did I just say that? sorry, mom... This is a fantastic poem. Perfect breaks, flow, and meaning; deep meaning. And you even managed to get me to crack a smile more than once, mind you. But it wouldn't be a d rush poem if it didn't tug at a string or two, and here it tugged at a few. Excellent work. I want to be this witty, surly, and funny at my next doctor's visit.

Diego Paz

[h d e rushin]

so he charges my insurance 146 dollars for a 15 minute consultation and a bottle of melatonin
which cost (and I priced it, 3.75 cents) and I go home and watch Matlock reruns until
the nightly news comes on where all the news is about Ebola and how it will ruin mankind.
And it just might..

[m.s.early]

H, Even your comments are stingy and luscious :)

[LJW]

My psychiatrist is a little old Jewish man with eyes that sparkle like Santa's. He nods his head a lot. He prescribes an antidepressant and Ambien. Once by accident I took 2 Ambien and apparently comforted my infant granddaughter by rocking her and singing nursery rhymes until she fell back asleep, then I went in the backyard and smoked a bowl with 2 of my adult daughters and have no memory of it. Which is perhaps the best medication of all. Melatonin. Some nights with both, still can't sleep. The latest piece I wrote is about insomnia.

[JC]

ha, again, very real stuff here, reminds me of Bukowski's work when at the doctors office, in the waiting room and the news of liver failure death if he doesn't stop drinking yet a very original voice that is purely you and your life. I'm very stoked to be reading about your pains and reality as I can relate and like an old blues song, being able to relate makes us all feel that much better.

[Terpsichore]

I get sleepless nights. It's good for poetry writing. Imagine if you didn't have the gift of expression, (which you so clearly do,) you'd doubtless have already gone mad.

T

[John Destalo]

Love the title. All throughout this piece I want to know what happens next, really captured the bizarreness of medical appointments, all the things they do outside of why you are actually there. Great piece!

[Mark]

I' can recall at least one doctor's visit where I was fit to be tied, my health be damned etc, so I can relate. It was only after I left that I realized that the less cooperative I was, they less they cared to help me , so then why even bother? Still, the next time back, we BOTH were on our best behavior. So thanks, I can relate to this a lot! Nicely done!

[Beccy]

Sometimes, too much swims around in the mind. We are complex creatures and seemingly captive to the increasing complexity of our very existence. It's like the choices thing; why four hundred plus different breakfast cereals? or over three hundred types and sizes of toothpaste. It's madness, but it's a madness we have created.

Then again, perhaps my seemingly very contented Labrador occasionally looks in the mirror and asks himself; Who am I? Why am I here? What is the purpose of my existence? Why do I suffer so?

Though in fairness, he does seem to possess the blessed ability to snooze at will.

Beccy. :)

[taittems]

Nice poem, I particularly like the ending!!! "I tell the woman who calls me
into a lonely room
to presumedly check my vitals,
what the f**k does this have
to do with me going mad? And
she says, I didn't want to frighten you,
and all the while i'm
thinking of how mother would
so disapprove of me
swearing." (Only shouldn't it be "my swearing" unless yr being colloquial?

[Zeitgeist Manifesto]

Damn! This one packs a serious punch. The theme of insanity really pulled me in.
I felt like I was in a paradox. To me, the person going insane was becoming "normal" as
they were the only sane person being driven insane by an insane world.
This one put my mind to work. Outer Limits type work.

[Dean]

You have given me solid evidence that a poem evidenced by such an appearance, CAN eminently justify not breaking into stanzas--a situation I have fallen into. Good lesson for me.

[h d e rushin]

and by breaking into stanzas do you mean to create a more physical endurance of them/
like hammering a point or emulsifying or thickening a conclusion? I have fallen into a habit
of length like processing the act of walking but not walking. Just waking up and being
at a destination. I think I understand what you mean Dean..

[Dean]

w'aal, gee, all that introspection over an innocent little comment? Tell your shrink I'm ready when he needs a vacation.

[Emily B]

i had this conversation this morning, only in my head, i don't trust anybody else to get in there and dfiddle with all the neuroses, they would just muddle things up