Turning Point

April 2, 2020April 1, 2020 V.J. Knutson18 Comments

Played host to insecurity –
catered to bullying
undermined by warped
agendas, butchered by
provincial minds –

Retreated, convalesced,
sanitized lost vitality,
believed in phantoms
haunted by compulsions
deflected attempted rescues
ignored counsel to let go.

Shell-shocked
aftermaths
incoherent
self-judgment
inescapable.

Where do I go from here?

Ignore criticism
disarm cruelty
sanctify privacy
detach, discern
redefine boundaries
embrace enlightenment

Focus on caring
be receptive –
choose life.

(Turning Point first appeared here December, 2015, a year and a half into isolation imposed by illness. I offer an edited version here with the intention of demonstrating the psychological toll of unexpected isolation. The loss of our routine, life, connections affects us all on many levels. Be kind to self and others. We all respond to that loss differently. Linking up with Eugi’s Causerie weekly prompt: enlighten. Image my own.)

life · poetry · psychology · writing

Return to Center

March 12, 2020March 8, 2020 V.J. Knutson22 Comments

Centred, I project merit
directed by routines
grief securely stored

Anxiety, not so compartmentalized
reveals that I am outsider, pliable,
pursues a validating response.

Perfectionism despises vulnerability
balance embraces contradictions
complexity overwhelms – I breath.

(Image from personal collection.)

abuse · Family · mental-health · relationships

A Sister’s Twists

February 6, 2020January 28, 2020 V.J. Knutson21 Comments

She prepared me for the worst
omission of positives purposeful –

Saving me from disappointment
her justification for inflicted wounds –

Years, I’ve railed against her abuse
pointless since she’s long been a ghost.

adversity · culture · Family · mental-health · poetry · relationships · writing

The Pawn

February 4, 2020January 28, 2020 V.J. Knutson19 Comments

Of course she is away
caught in the schism
of her parents’ divorce
played like a pawn

She is emotionally numb
incapable of articulating
wants and desires – broken
though no one notices.

(Poem originally appeared on Twitter. Visit me @Vjknutson. Image from personal collection.)

creativity · poetry · writing

Nothing To Fear Here

January 14, 2020January 13, 2020 V.J. Knutson18 Comments

Fragmented
as this soul may be
fear not this disarray –
I flow with a rhythm –
emphatic beats tuned
to love’s call.

(Image from personal collection)

creativity · mental-health · poetry · recovery · writing

Separated Self

December 7, 2019November 26, 2019 V.J. Knutson30 Comments

Reach for her
across the abyss
of indifference –

would hold her dear
comfort her sorrows –
empty promises,
I now understand

have abandoned her
countless times
in the name of obligation,
this child that is me.

disability · ME/ CFS · poetry · writing

Sleeping Alone

February 9, 2019February 8, 2019 V.J. Knutson17 Comments

Sleeping alone
with so much intrusion –

child born of good intentions
awash in a trail of barricades

I cope, cook up breezes, strike
wet ground – stuff myself to satiate

the onslaught, ground rapidly shifting –
Earth Mother exerting presence –

too stubborn, I turn away, look for
God but my cup keeps moving –

I am unreachable, charmed by
a broken tale, aimless, oppositional

overwhelmed – cry out but absence
holds no listeners – need adhesive

to fix this urgency – a peerless torrent –
if only I could simply these wounds

find a stopgap – emotion overflows,
exerts turmoil, sorrow replaying

sleep offers no repair, alone,
tormented by the issue at hand.

(Every so often, I revisit old poems and revise. Sleeping Alone first appeared here in December of 2017, when I was still in the throes of severe illness. I’ve come along way and it’s good to look back and see the progress. I am also linking this up to my weekly challenge, reaching.)