The Head of Hawk Point Road 3:22pm
I have been chasing
down The Sky
along Hawk Point Road
I saw It fall
to The Ocean
in snowy squalls
I got back in My Car
& drove to The Head
where sun rays burst through
above a frayed Canadian Flag
blowing over a contemporary
grave yard
The Hawk Living Room 5:41pm
I have The Power
of Destiny
behind Me
–
The Strength
of Our Future
in My Present
–
I will succeed in creating
My Own Reality
as I see It every minute
every second
measured by moments
alone or with Others
Who may yet see
where I am
coming from
There is no such “thing” as “mental illness.” There is no true illness which can be said to be entirely “mental” unless it is derived from an organic source such as a brain tumour. There are no physical attributes in the human body which can point to this description. There is no pre-determining test for “mental illness.” The psychiatric diagnosis used to determine the supposed state of “mental illness” is opinion-based at best, and most often this opinion is not shared by the individual in question. At worst this opinion is often shared by family members, friends, and society as a whole, creating a kind of trap or “Catch 22” for the individual.
–
What we see when we attempt to use this stigmatizing and false description of “mental illness” is an array of human self expression which may be affected by, or resulting from, changes in environment, sleep patterns, physical activity, thought, perception, interaction with others, or any conglomeration of naturally occurring factors which can and do affect all of us as human beings.
–
We are variable and complex. To lump any of us into “categories” of “mental illness” is a grave disservice to humanity.
Written by Joanna Gilman Hyde Blair
When I first posted Halloween
all three related listings in the comment section
When I looked again
three different poems were listed.
The Tomato-coloured Couch 6:11pm
I will tell You People
what kinda God I Am
& see if You can understand
Me —
I Am Serious
I Am NOT Serene
I am Factual, NOT based
on Faith —
based on Reason
as I Am Your Reason
for Schizophrenia
I Am The Light
of Silver,
NOT Gold
I have shown up
to stir This World up
from Its Legacy
of Bull Shit
It Is Time
for Me —
not to be believed
but to be KNOWN
I make My Announcement
Tonight
to establish The Fact
that The Human Mind
can be
Anything
–
*My Husband just gave Me the book So This Is Permanence
by Ian Curtis of Joy Division
The Tomato-coloured Couch 9:11pm
I Am The Lady In Black
and charcoal grey
Who likes to write
about Her Self
as The Transformation
The Growth
from a thirty-something
mental patient
badly misunderstood
tortuously disbelieved
turned
Figure
Of Prominence
in Her Local Community
and about to hit
at 54
The World At Large
The Hawk Queen Bed 9:20am
I am at The Zenith
of My Life
lost poems aside —
I have arrived
at home
in warm Silver negligee
coffee in The Morning
with A Day Ahead
for anything
Joanna Gilman Hyde 