Joanna Gilman Hyde

"Good Morning, World!"

Tag: 9/11

PERCEPTION 2

The Hawk Family Room 4:44pm

According to My Perception

There Is No Such Thing

as an “illness”

Schizophrenia

The Schizophrenia Society is barking

up the wrong tree —

when My Brother received

His “diagnosis” at 21

that was the end of His Free Thinking

His Creative Mind Had Gone As Far

as society would let It —

at My Insistence

that My Brother didn’t “have” schizophrenia

My Father Francy declared:

“Well, Howard certainly has Something

Yes, He Had A Creative Human Mind Influenced

By His Unique Perception

IS MY HOUSE CLEAN ENOUGH?

The West Desk Window 11:00am

The New Floors Are Down

without The Moulding Yet —

Hunter’s Library Is Finished

without Books

Wing Chair

& Grand Father’s Desk

I Am Frozen

In My Writing —

I recall One Social Worker

ten years ago

Make The Pronouncement

that To Stay Clean

Some People Keep Busy

or was that

To Stay Busy

Some People Clean?

BEFORE SUPPER

The Tomato-coloured Couch 7:14pm

Oh Bug I Saw You Again

Against My Beautiful Sunset

Were You Following Me?

Did You Know I’d Been Writing

& Stopped Only To Look?

WITCHCRAFT

The Tomato-coloured Couch 6:10pm

The Banking World Today

is being taken over

by Big Women & The Small Men Who Love Them —

The Men of Stature

are being pushed out

by Bossy Females

& Their Nugget-headed Partners —

The Men of Stature

try to find pens

to write customers’ notes

on the backs of business cards

while the pretty-faced sized 12 & 14

Women In Charge

explain to Their Nodding Female Customers

There’s A New System

of labelling a check that skips the scanner

as an apparently arbitrary #906

RECIPE FOR GOD

The Yarmouth Psychiatric Unit, Yarmouth NS

about ten years ago

Take One Firm Believer

Who Thinks She’s It

Throw In A Dose Or Two Of Scepticism

Stir It All Up

Heap On A Prayer

Cook On High

Until Ready To Serve

THIS GOT ME OUT OF BED

The Hawk West Desk Window 12:05pm

I Have A New Bible

to Thump —

Open It Clean Down The Middle

& Pummel It With Your Thumbs:

It’s Titled The Joanna Hyde School of Thought —

Believe In Your Self First

then believe in God

GOD’S PALLET

The Hawk West Desk Window 5:10pm

If I were God, Which I Am,

I would decree the legalization

of Gay Marriage

the decriminalization of Street Drugs & Prostitution

the illegalization of Abortion

the equalization of God & Humanity

SPIRAL

The Hawk Family Room 4:40pm

I See Our Galaxy

Out My West Window

Filling Up & Out The Sky

Glowing In Its Centre

With What May Be The Sun

RESTORATION

The Tomato-coloured Couch 3:41pm

I always said I never lived

with a broken heart,

but My Mother broke My Heart

when She died

twenty years ago,

but I lived

with My Broken Spirit

taken over by God —

God stepped in

— stepped on My Heart —

He made Me see a Shower of Lights

Which did not fill Me

with inner peace

I was restless

not sleeping

years on medication —

I’m still on it —

I cannot drink The Red Wine

of mirth

without sleep disturbance

I need My Sleep

My Peace Restored

MY FIRST ART TEACHERS

The Hawk Family Room 7:00pm

My Elementary Art Teacher

Miss Fabian

was little & wore tight sweaters

Her Hair was Black

She wore Black Pants

& told Me Artists usually stand

to do Their work

I don’t remember My Intermediate Teacher

but I made a giant bobby pin

& won an art certificate

at the end of Sixth Grade

My High School Art Teachers

were Miss Cotterall, little & blond

Who taught Me the basics

of Jewellery Making —

Miss Hues —

She was dark-skinned

& I painted a water-colour portrait

of Her in a patch-work skirt —

Mr McDowell

was the Track Coach

Who later told Me He was proud

to have contributed in some small way

to My Success

Self Organizing Galaxy