Un-Raveling? …[ Mental Illness; Short; Fate] Poem by Bri Edwards
Un-Raveling? …[ Mental Illness; Short; Fate]
My red knit sweater is unraveling …..,
though it....is not so Very old.
Some ‘Not-Very-Old' people do unravel,
or so at times I have been told.
It can start with no clear reason.
A minor change in habit, or in attitude.
Most would not say: 'Go see a shrink! '.
THAT would seem, to most, Very rude.
But then 'it' can quickly escalate.
Or it can simmer, can be subtle.
An unraveling mind may be sneaky,
when questioned can give a fine rebuttal.
I'm glad it's my Sweater that is My problem,
not my mind OR that of ……my dear mate.
Pills or counseling may help slow or stop 'it'.
But, for some, they don't help OR they're too late!
(January 5th, 2017)
That sweater and the people i know or have heard of with mental illness spurred me to write the poem. i do believe medication can make the difference between some people living halfway-normal lives and being street people OR worse.
i recently walked a sidewalk with a woman i did not know. she approached me, asking for a ride out of town to where she said her husband was ['he will pay for your gas']. she said she could not get her money out of the bank [Social Security money] because the county mental health agency had stolen her photo ID. i walked her to the police station, though she said 'the police' were responsible for her being evicted from her apartment. it was later that she said her apartment had no working stove or refrigerator, and the 'water has bugs'. the police did some behind-the-scenes checking while she and i waited. the officer said she had NOT been evicted; she had been sent a letter of warning. he also told her that her husband did not want her back with him. after we left the police station, she confided that she was not taking her 'medication'. she said the medicine was bad for her health. it's wasn't the first time i'd heard a similar story.: (
i also have underwear and socks which could use a little work. but, being American [not one of the 'homeless' ones] i can 'afford' to put off such work, and I have for months!
bri :)
bri. finally your sweater has come into your poem, ha-ha-ha-ha. interesting
that is NOT to say one should put complete confidence in drugs to treat mental illness! i have one friend...... (with mental illness; he lives alone in an apartment and is medicated and sees a therapist) ......who recently told me his friend......(also with mental illness and also living alone in an apartment) .....told her doctor the drug he was prescribing was not working as well as one she used to have better luck with. after a long time, the doctor finally prescribed her preference and she felt better. [maybe the doctor had some good reason to keep her on one drug for so long rather than the other? or, 'we' hate to think it, the doctor was profiting by promoting a company's 'new' drug? ? ]. and one of my ex-wives once was apparently over-medicated, supposedly taking the amount of a drug which her doctor prescribed (for depression i believe) and she was close to being non-responsive, at least verbally, in a social situation. when her dosage was reduced, her condition improved immensely. it ain't (always) as easy as popping a pill. ; ( bri :) the woman i refer to in my Poet's Notes told me here name was Julia. i went my way and she continued to ask people in town for a ride 40 miles or so outside of our town.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Delivering Poems Around The World
Poems are the property of their respective owners. All information has been reproduced here for educational and informational purposes to benefit site visitors, and is provided at no charge...
4/26/2024 6:55:41 AM # 1.0.0.1119
This woman is in a very sorry state, could hardly be worse. Darning a sweater is the sort of thing I would do, or sewing on buttons. A realist poem for sure.