The Hawk Queen Bed 9:53am
Last Night I saw
The Aura of Eye
whenever I blinked
& became The Petulant Child
while My Husband went to sleep
I wore Him out
with My Antics
while I tried
to decipher
what I was seeing
& decided
I should eat
The Tomato-coloured Couch 1:22pm
I want to put Roses
on My Brother’s Grave
on His Stone
inscribed with The First Bar
of Fur Elise
He taught His Niece Eliza
but I am certain
His Roses
lying there
would blow
away
–
*Howard Talbot Walden Hyde
October 6, 1962 — November 22, 2007
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 Window Seat 10:30am
A fine head of Silver Hair
graces the brow
of My Husband —
He dresses in Jeans
for Casual Friday
while I fix
His Silver Cat Pendent
around His Neck
I fix His Plain Oatmeal
instant with raisins
& cinnamon
while He sits
before His Computer
reading of worldly events
at quarter to eleven
He rises to put on His Shoes
black Eccos from over six years ago
& gets His Coat —
a leather jacket made in China
from over twenty
He kisses Me at the door
before He drives away
in His black 2000 Lincoln LS
to His Office in Barrington
where He attends
over fifty people
a day
Who Love Him
The Hawk Hallway 1:06pm
I live the life
of a Home-grown Saint
taking sandwiches & pop
to My Husband’s Secretary
because I have The Time
& like dropping in on Her
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
The Hawk Dining Room 10:00am
How many times can I write
of The Silver Streaks
replicated from My Head
across My Newest Ocean?
A Million Times for I have
found a thousand opportunities
inside a game
which can only go
up
The Tomato-coloured Couch 2:22pm
She sits in black leggings
left foot tucked under
right thigh
couched on The Tomato-coloured Couch
Where Else?
under Her Depiction
of The Glory & The Fall
titled “My Black Star”
She wears Her Most Expensive Earrings
& socks with cats
given to Her by a coffee-drinking friend
She has come many miles
& many moons
to achieve Her Place
here
& plans to stay
as long as it takes
to answer Humanity’s Fatalistic Questions
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
Joanna Gilman Hyde 