SPOTLIGHT: Psych Ward Blues by Ted Jackins

Untitled #22

Watching Summer storms
From this high up,
And I can feel
The electricity coursing
Through my veins,
Thunder mixing with
The ravings of
Some of the more
Colorful patients,
The klonopin I had
After dinner
Works its magic,
But the edginess
Clings to my brain stem,
Albeit dulled around
Its serrated edge,
As I’m stuck
In the limbo
That is the Delta Unit,
Anticipating the change
That’s been a long time
Coming.
(8/19/21)

Dreaming, Awake

I walk the halls
Lined with broken
Glass-
I walk the halls
Which echo
With the voices,
Both real and imagined
From each of our
Collective heads,
I walk the halls
Which pulse with
A shared nervousness,
I walk the halls
Still wet with tears,
I walk the halls
Filled with neurotic,
Racing thoughts,
I walk the halls
Lost in my own
Thoughts,
I walk the halls
Because I have
Nowhere else
To go.
(8/19/21)

Fragility

Trying to find comfort
In the monotony,
But I’m prone to
Claustrophobia,
And this hall
Feels smaller
Everyday,
And I’m trying
To get my breath-
But it catches
In my throat,
And every shift
In the weather
Gets under my
Skin,
Mixing in with
My bloodstream,
Poisoning me to
The very core,
Darkening my mood,
And sending me
End over end
As I spiral off
into the stratosphere.
(8/19/21)

Air Pressure Sick Bag

The slightest change
In air pressure,
And I spiral,
It’s a pressure
I can feel on my brain,
And electricity running
Through my entire
Bloodstream,
And suddenly
My thoughts come
More rapidly,
My breathing erratic,
And a cold sweat
Runs from my every
Pore,
Usually it’s those
Southern storms
Like we’ve had
Lately,
Or a sharp,
Sudden change in
Altitude,
And that’s all
It takes to remind
Me just how fragile
The human mind
Truly is.
(8/19/21)

And 3 Becomes 6

Looks like I’m here
For the long haul,
An extended stay
Until I can sort out
My meds,
And clear my thoughts.
All I want to do
Is sleep,
Missing several
Groups and waking
Only for meals,
The last two months
Catching up with me,
At last,
Serving only to
Make me miss
My own bed,
My wife and my
Cat even more.
I know it was the
Right choice I made,
But right decisions
Are usually the hardest.
(8/19/21)