An Intrusive Mental Illness ( poem from "A Child's Journey Through Darkness" by Donna Nieri )

I thought it was bad before,
Growing up through childhood
Abuse, but the illness that
Struck me at sixteen far
Exceeded it.  I became very
Ill. 
 
It was not a drumming of
Fever, no blood or open wounds.
It was a secret mental illness,
That defied all rhyme or reason.
 
It came in its own timing.
It struck out of the blue,
Leaving me not knowing what
To do.
 
Wounds inside erupted,
They could no longer stay hidden
And corrupted.
Sudden intrusive thoughts came
To my mind, uninvited.
 
I told them to go away.
My head was pounding
With the sound in my mind. 
 
My brain, like a fissured valley,
With tormentors working quietly,
In the passageways of alleys.   
 
Leaving cracks where chemicals
Surged uncontrolled, out of whack,
Spilling into opposite directions,
Triggering repetitive thoughts,
     
Along with the black shadows creeping
In, whispering and chanting,
Planting seeds of doubt.

 

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Copyright 2019 © Donna Nieri.