The Hawk Basement 3:22pm
I was going to write
a poem
listing My Psychiatric Diagnoses
but I decided
to make Potato Salad
instead
*maverick psychiatrist/author (1920 — 2012)
The Myth of Mental Illness
Schizophrenia: The Sacred Symbol of Psychiatry
The Hawk Portico 2:48pm
I have Poetry Clothes
Invalid Clothes
Black Jesus Clothes
& Something for The Silver Christ
borrowed from The Invalid Ensemble:
My Thick Grey Robe
worn as My
“at home” attire
seen by My Husband, My Daughter
(She picked It out)
several carpenters
& maybe neighbours
when I take out
the trash
The Hawk West Desk Window 9:26pm
I once had someone ask Me
“Joanna, are You A Perfect Person?”
I answered with The Perfect Answer
“Sometimes.”
I have always been
in A State Of Perfection
I have always existed
and The State Of Existence Is Perfect
when I die I will have
The Perfect Death
I will fly away to the stars
My Spirit will impregnate
again
the egg of someone new
and I will grow once more
into A Being with A Mind
into A Human with A Destiny
different from
My Own
The Hawk Corner Room 5:15pm
Last Night in a dream
I wore My Black Jesus Hat
It was woven straw
with a pale blue sash
I could see My World through Its Brim
a small group of Women began to gather
I felt the urge to speak to Them
and as I made ready
My Crow-d dispersed
The Hawk Outpost 5:48pm
Last Night You Showed Me
The Moon
Tonight I Have Seen It
Again
Between Parted Clouds
While I Think Of You —
Your Friend,
Joanna
The Tomato-coloured Couch 5:04pm
Why don’t I just think
about God the way
Everybody Else does?
How much simpler would My Life be —
My Writing?
Would I quit bashing My Head
against the proverbial brick wall —
Would I join the rest of Humanity
if I believed in creation —
How can I believe in creation when I believe
We’ve never NOT existed
& that WE are responsible
for Our Own Realities?
The Tomato-coloured Couch 6:53pm
I have The Music of Poetry
to guide Me
I have Black Jesus at My Side
I live by The Ocean
My Name is Joanna Gilman Hyde
I come out to greet You
Big Wide World
with My Art
My Concept of God as Humanity
Humanity as God
I Pray: Take Me In
I Pray: Embrace The Sky
The Hawk Portico 1:57pm
Birdsong is The Sound of Life
with Ocean as a backdrop
I sit in Sanctuary
The End To Strife
and wait Here
for The World to Stop
The Hawk Kitchen 9:05am
Have I written enough
of The Silver On The Ocean?
No — It is what I awaken
to on each clear day
It gives Me Solace
and Energy
for The Special Time
We’re in —
The Time of The Awakening
of The World
The Tomato-coloured Couch 7:18pm
In My First Year
She took Me to Africa to meet Dr Schweitzer
for Him to hold Me
forever in a black and white photograph
hanging here in My Dining Room —
how could He have known
I would have The Shower Of Silver
Blades Of Light
which would turn Me
into What I am
Today:
A Woman Who Wishes
Only The Best
For This New World?
Joanna Gilman Hyde 