The Warden

I swear it’s like a prison,
Living with you every day,
The rules forever changing,
And they never go my way,
I always need permission,
Just to be in your good grace,
I’d love to wipe that vapid smirk,
Completely from your face.

You act more like a warden,
Giving orders here and there,
I never have a moment’s peace,
I can’t escape the glare,
You throw no matter what I do,
A child has more restraint,
Your tantrums are ridiculous,
You rage and spew complaint.

I can’t believe I’m stuck within,
The annals of this fate,
For 20 years beyond,
I’ve had to navigate your hate,
I’m torn between revulsion,
And despair within your sight,
My only wish is soon,
I can escape this dreadful plight.

So play the condescending bitch,
Forever and a day,
Cause pretty soon, eventually,
I’ll have the final say,
And sell this house of horrors,
Leave your grave for weeds to grow,
I’ll carve some peace and comfort,
For a life you’ll never know.

Laugh With Me

Laugh with me,
And help set free,
The joy within my soul,
A giggle fest,
Is always best,
When life is on a roll,
Some banter shared,
From stories dared,
So funny you could cry,
So laugh with me,
Until we pee,
And let our spirits fly.

Laugh with me,
But not at me,
My confidence is frail,
If you should please,
To mock and tease,
I fear you must set sail,
I will not stunt,
Nor be the brunt,
To tickle someone’s end,
So laugh with me,
But not at me,
Or find another friend.

Laugh with me,
And you will see,
A sense of humour wrought,
With droll malaise,
And charming haze,
That lessens my distraught,
Self deprecate,
But do not hate,
When crazy rules my rhyme,
So laugh with me,
Come set me free,
For laughter is sublime.

This poem is the eighteenth in a series of prose about boundaries, which are essentially conversations with myself. Yet another homework assignment from my clinical psychologist, designed to help me recognise my own personal boundaries so I can form healthy relationships moving forward.

Silence

Silence can be golden,
It can bring about much peace,
To sit with just your presence,
And let all your troubles cease,
If only for a moment,
To be mindful of your space,
Can lift the burdens crushing,
All the joy in which you face.

Silence can be awesome,
It can give you time to think,
When thoughts are raging ominous,
It breaks the manic link,
And gives you right of passage,
Through the labyrinth of grind,
The stillness of a quiet thought,
Can truly bend your mind.

Silence can be healing,
It can give you time to breathe,
No panic in the syllables,
No heavy soul to heave,
And just like that anxiety,
Has exited the room,
Who knew a quiet moment,
Would allow your heart to bloom.

Silence can be perfect,
To connect without a sound,
A nod, a smile, without a word,
Has purpose to be found,
So lose the need to rabbit on,
Come sit with me a while,
For words augment their meaning,
With the silence of a smile.

This poem is the seventeenth in a series of prose about boundaries, which are essentially conversations with myself. Yet another homework assignment from my clinical psychologist, designed to help me recognise my own personal boundaries so I can form healthy relationships moving forward.

Be Curious

Be curious about my life,
And how I spend my week,
Don’t be afraid to ask me,
Of the dreams in which I seek.

Be curious of how I tick,
My mind is fertile ground,
I can at times be witty,
And great fun to be around.

Be curious of what I do,
Take interest in my day,
It may not seem exciting,
But adventure finds a way.

Be curious of who I am,
It shows me that you care,
Sometimes my life can be a treat,
Sometimes a double dare.

Be curious of struggles too,
What mental illness means,
Unless you ask me questions,
Fear will blow apart our seams.

Be curious to know my life,
Have interest put to task,
I’ll tell you all you need to know,
You only have to ask.

This poem is the sixteenth in a series of prose about boundaries, which are essentially conversations with myself. Yet another homework assignment from my clinical psychologist, designed to help me recognise my own personal boundaries so I can form healthy relationships moving forward.

Talk To Me

Talk to me in shades of blue,
The sun won’t always shine,
I’m curious in all you do,
Not just the good and fine.

Talk to me in shades of hope,
Share dreams that light your world,
Teach me ways in which you cope,
When troubles are unfurled.

Talk to me in shades of grey,
When doom and gloom arrive,
Unleash the burdens that dismay,
So I can help you thrive.

Talk to me in shades of joy,
Embrace your spirit’s song,
Include me in your witty ploy,
So I can laugh along.

Talk to me in shades of grief,
I want to hold your hand,
Sometimes this life can be a thief,
Please let me help you stand.

Talk to me in shades of hue,
Where rainbows touch the sky,
I am okay while I’m with you,
Together we can fly.

Talk to me in shades of truth,
It need not be so deep,
Sometimes embracing inner youth,
Can make the curve less steep.

Talk to me in shades of gold,
Until my journey’s end,
I’m fast approaching days of old,
And crazy’s round the bend.

This poem is the fifteenth in a series of prose about boundaries, which are essentially conversations with myself. Yet another homework assignment from my clinical psychologist, designed to help me recognise my own personal boundaries so I can form healthy relationships moving forward.

Keep Your Promises

A promise should be sacred,
And not entered on a whim,
And keeping of said promises,
Is where the trust begins,
I get there may be times,
When a commitment goes awry,
And if that is the case,
Then tell the truth above a lie.

Don’t promise me the world,
And then deliver barren sands,
I really ask for nothing more,
Than faithful loving hands,
That offer to support me,
In the times I struggle most,
Don’t promise me you’ll be there,
If your instinct is to ghost.

And never promise anything,
You don’t intend to keep,
I’d rather you admitted,
I’m a monumental heap,
Of complicated issues,
Just too much for you to bear,
At least I would respect the why,
You chose to not be there.

So keep your promises,
Or just do not make them at all,
It really is that simple,
Save the drama for the fall,
But if you tender promises,
Make haste to hold your vibe,
Or else you may discover,
You are banished from the tribe.

This poem is the fourteenth in a series of prose about boundaries, which are essentially conversations with myself. Yet another homework assignment from my clinical psychologist, designed to help me recognise my own personal boundaries so I can form healthy relationships moving forward.

Apologise

Apologise when you screw up,
Don’t feed my rabid trauma pup,
I’ve grown up blamed for every deal,
My interest lies in being real.

Forgive me when I get it wrong,
Don’t make it all about your song,
I can’t connect if you keep score,
So let it go, don’t treat me poor.

Apologise when you’re at fault,
Don’t speak to me like I’m a dolt,
You’ll gain much more respect this way,
Let kindness have the final say.

But don’t expect I’ll take the blame,
To ease your conscience all the same,
When I am wrong I will concede,
When you are wrong accept your deed.

So say you’re sorry now and then,
Forgive the times I may offend,
When ego steps aside to feel,
The wounds inside begin to heal.

This poem is the thirteenth in a series of prose about boundaries, which are essentially conversations with myself. Yet another homework assignment from my clinical psychologist, designed to help me recognise my own personal boundaries so I can form healthy relationships moving forward.

Be Loyal

Be loyal to me, this I ask,
Don’t gossip to the pack,
I’ve chosen to depend on you,
Don’t stab me in the back,
The secrets shared between us,
Are a promise made in trust,
Please take them to the grave,
Or else our friendship is a bust.

So if I do confide in you,
Please keep it to yourself,
You wouldn’t want your crazy,
On display upon the shelf,
I tell you things in confidence,
I’ve chosen you to be,
The keeper of the labyrinth,
Protecting all you see.

So just be loyal to me,
For my loyalty is true,
And trust not given lightly,
Granted to a chosen few,
Will be bestowed upon you,
As you enter in my tribe,
A loyal friend forever,
Means I have no need to hide.

This poem is the twelfth in a series of prose about boundaries, which are essentially conversations with myself. Yet another homework assignment from my clinical psychologist, designed to help me recognise my own personal boundaries so I can form healthy relationships moving forward.

It’s Okay To Disagree

It’s fine to want to disagree,
My fragile self aside,
At times we won’t see eye to eye,
I’m not about to hide,
So trust me I can cope,
Without approval every day,
So if you need to disagree,
Believe me that’s okay.

I’d rather you be honest,
Than be hiding your beliefs,
We can agree to disagree,
It should not bring us grief,
The more mature we are,
Embracing different points of view,
The better we will strengthen,
What is me and what is you.

So please feel free to disagree,
But leave it where it stands,
Don’t try to change my world,
Cause it was built with different hands,
We both have our opinions,
And at times they won’t align,
But it’s okay to disagree,
So trust me, I’ll be fine.

This poem is the eleventh in a series of prose about boundaries, which are essentially conversations with myself. Yet another homework assignment from my clinical psychologist, designed to help me recognise my own personal boundaries so I can form healthy relationships moving forward.

Celebrate My Wins

Celebrate my wins,
For it will mean the world to me,
Don’t dwell upon my tragedy,
There’s more that I can be,
I’d rather have you feel my joy,
Than wrestle with my pain,
So celebrate my wins,
And I will gladly do the same.

Celebrate my journey,
And the road that’s brought me here,
Don’t point out pot holes on the way,
Just revel in my cheer,
Adventure calls at every turn,
I may stumble and fall,
But celebrate my journey,
For you know I’ll give my all.

Celebrate my victories,
No matter big or small,
These challenges have made me strong,
The writing’s on the wall,
There’s greatness to behold,
A tofu elephant sublime,
Will always taste much better,
Eaten one bite at a time.

So celebrate my wins,
And be my most prestigious fan,
Let’s hold our flag aloft,
As we embrace the joys we can,
I’ll laud your wins as you do mine,
As equals flying free,
Let’s celebrate our wins,
And be the legends we can be.

This poem is the tenth in a series of prose about boundaries, which are essentially conversations with myself. Yet another homework assignment from my clinical psychologist, designed to help me recognise my own personal boundaries so I can form healthy relationships moving forward.