Wilted

I am sick and I am so scared

My shaking hand fumbles for a mirror

A stranger meets my gaze

A gaunt face, translucent skin, lips washed of their pigment  

Eyes abandoned by luster gaining deep, bruised shadows

Wilted

I am thrust out of my denial

How much longer until my collapse?

Reviews

[Fabian G. Franklin]

I do not believe the word "thrust" needs the "ed" suffix here. This is an alarming piece; sounding the warning that all is not right in the real world, I certainly hope and pray you feel better and regain your health completely. Blessings of healing. F.

[poison&kerosene]

Thank you for pointing that out! I write at my most emotionally impactful times in my life and grammar can be a causality of it. Writing is very cathartic and often art is an expression of pain. I will always be okay as long as I have the drive to create something from darkness :) thank you for your kind words!

[light and ashes]

This is so very real... and as I am reading it again I remember when I felt a similar way, and I am so afraid for you.

[Unspoken poet]

very powerful and emotional, I have anxiety attacks I have to see a therapist.
i can feel this write a bit....

[jacob erin-cilberto]

this is all of us at one time or another....perhaps more times than that.
reminds me of the Sheryl Crow lyric "wondering why I am a stranger in my own life"----
j.

[John the Baptist]

Probably less time than you think, unless you get help.

[poison&kerosene]

I have a Cardiologist and a Neurologist. Currently going through rounds of invasive and expensive treatments. I have a lot of moments where I wonder if the expense is even worth it. Gotta love employer insurance. Thanks for the mortality check on my own mortality check piece. You always cheer me up lol. :)

[John the Baptist]

And thanks for your reply. It is always nice to know when one has provided some comfort to another. It's really the best we can do on this pilgrimage.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

This powerful poem reminds me of the time I suffered a mental breakdown in my late teens. After returning from my recovery in a hospital after several days I looked at myself in a mirror at home. I had gone from around 160 pounds to 95. I literally did not recognize the person staring back at me in that mirror. And I wept for myself. I can't explain what it took for me to recover but eventually years past and I learned to accept personal responsibility for what I had done to myself out of my anguish. A mirror reveals more than our own image to us. It reveals our flaws, moods, and the negative ways we see ourselves. It reveals our soul. Thank you for sharing your poem.

[poison&kerosene]

I am sad that you can relate to this poem but happy that writing has the ability to make people feel less alone. I had been in a similar situation with anorexia for 12 years. It really is so upsetting when we realize the damage we are capable of inflicting on ourselves. While this poem is related to health issues I can't change or control, I 100% understand what you are saying. Accepting responsibility is so hard and many don't even try to do so especially in our teen years. I pray that your scars are faded and that you have forgiven yourself now. While we have to hold ourselves accountable, at the same time we can only survive if we learn to also accept we are only human and that is a hard job to have. Thank you for stopping by and sharing with me Carlos!

[Ted Kniffen]

A terrific expression of age or illness affecting one's physical and emotional states.

Well done.

P.s. keep your chin up.

[poison&kerosene]

Ted you always have such kind words. I appreciate you stopping by and I will!