occult infection

a return to ill -- an occult infection is insidious, and one of which the carrier is mostly unaware.

It seeps
into the lamina
of my grey matter
oozing like pus
into the crevices,
blocking synapses
making false connections;
tricking neurons,
and flooding my body
with useless adrenaline.
fight or flight paralysis
that has no basis in fact.
the tiger does not have teeth.
the monster is not
behind the closet door.
and you cannot hurt me
anymore.

Author's Note

captcha lucidity
why this song? cause I just made you up to hurt myself

Reviews

[Unknown]

This poem is a delight.
But what delighted me the most is your note. :D I adore that song! And it fits the theme perfectly.

[Lyn Anderson]

Thank you so much. Yes, I love that line and that song.

[AprilRN1210]

I love the phrasing in this one... such apt and powerful descriptions...

"seeping....oozing.....tricking....flooding.....useless...."

and this song is PERFECT!!! wow... adds such punch to the thought-provoking, emotionally charged power... I can relate to this one and enjoyed every minute! going into favorites ma'am....

[Lyn Anderson]

Great. Of course, a nurse would understand. Just like John, the psychiatrist.

[AprilRN1210]

haha, and we are both psych nurses... thankfully I do ER and L&D as well.. yep, this one is pretty dang amazing...

[TL Boehm]

the lamia of my grey matter....Oooh. This one reminds me of the opener to a Lovecraft story. Well done and a bit spooky.

[Lyn Anderson]

Yes, you are the second to think I said lamia. I admit I had to look lamia up. Lamina, on the other hand, is just the white stuff on your brain. I am boring like that. :)

[TL Boehm]

it does say lamina - LOL - I guess my grey matter isn't working today! but still - lamina is still creepy to consider....the white stuff in your brain...

[David Scott]

We kid ourselves at times because the truth is hidden from our conscious minds about why we suffer...
The "infection" is no less deadly because it is not obvious however.
I like how you often visit this concept of "fooling ourselves" while we pretend to thrive. Still, I wonder if it is not better at times to slap a happy face on our pain and make the best of it.
Good work here KL.

[Lyn Anderson]

Actually, odd you should say that. The truth is, slapping a happy face on actually works, in terms of preserving our sanity. This is proven out in research, and is what keeps people in poor countries, for example, from being terminally miserable.

[David Scott]

I know... crazy eh? :) State management baby!

[Lydia Shutter]

No, he can not hurt you, but old habits die hard and old goblins and ghoulies hang out in the corners of a mind for a hell of a long time. KL, your vocabulary is impressive...and I enjoy it. Lydi**

[Lyn Anderson]

I tend to hide my big words in the closet having been roundly chastised on many occasions for being a0 "walking dictionary" and sounding "snobby"

[Lydia Shutter]

Never hide the fact you are intelligent and have a great vocabulary...be proud!

[Lyn Anderson]

Well, thanks, I appreciate that.

[MomzillaNC]

The monsters of Hollywood are nothing to monsters of our imaginings. The Lamia is a particularly nasty mythology!

[Lyn Anderson]

Oh, interesting you should have read it that way. I knew nothing of that, being a book worm, it is the lamina, as in the thin coating on your brain:)

[Lyn Anderson]

I now read about it, thanks for that. I didn't even recognize it as something Keats wrote of.

[MomzillaNC]

Okay, now that you've said that, I see that my old eyes betrayed me again. LOL. But, the poem still speaks to me of the troubles -- monsters -- we create in our own minds.

[Hitchhiker]

Take me on a journey within the confines of your thought process, and i will share and share alike. Yrs! This is the first installment. And oh yes, I just love your large words. Heh.Heh

[Lyn Anderson]

Thank you. Excessive use of verbose and flowery words is often unnecessary, but I do like to flex those muscles from time to time.:)

[Hitchhiker]

. . . and you do it quite well . . .

[Sami Khalil]

The mind is a wondrous thing and so many things can infect or affect. A splendid poem...:)...............

[Lyn Anderson]

Thank you Sami, I appreciate your review.

[Sami Khalil]

You are welcome...:).................

[Matching Socks]

Mind over matter for sure KL.
It takes a shell around our hearts and minds built up over time... But we learn eventually.

[Lyn Anderson]

Thanks a lot, every once in a while I need to demonstrate my ability to utilize large words lol.

[Rene Salinas]

The labyrinth of the mind as a journey. It was compelling. Of course anything that dwells on the inside is not as easily approached as let's say 1.2.3 but refreshing to see how at the end whatever the process was from healing o strangthening the force which caused destruction and pain can no longer invade the domain.

Intense.

Thankyou

[Lyn Anderson]

thank you so much, I love your insightful reviews.