QUEEN

When I was myself they locked me down

with chains of bad diagnoses and good intentions.

Papa couldn’t understand and Mama couldn’t sympathize;

She wielded the sword of denial, he took up the shield of confusion.

And thus the war began

When I was myself I rode the darkness like a stallion wild,

Queen of my kingdom and slave of theirs.

My words ran river red, eat me, drink to that.

“Off with her head” and “Has she gone mad?”

The end, the dragon slain

When I was myself the world was tinged in shades of vivid grey and moss green.

I believed in ochre, and ombré, and ash.

But then the label came in

“color blind too, on top of everything else”

and they undid the done and

I un-saw the seen.

I still wanted to be queen

When I was myself I knew what I knew,

And what was new I knew to be noveau,

I knew that the zaps were supposed to be helpful but

God did it have to hurt so much too

Now I am happy,

And there is a nice word ‘sad’,

Blue is the sky and cutting is bad.

Jack and Jill went up the hill,

And Mary had a lamb.

(Lucky girl, I had an electricshocktherapything)

Now I am good.

Now I am alright.

Now I am the abstract concept of free.

Now I am QUEEN OF MY KI-

small words now, child.

Now I am me.

oh, go on.

FISTFLIGHT