Six Signs of Serotonin

Serotonin is a chemical released in the brain that makes a person feel calm and at peace with their surroundings; this poem takes that idea and incorporates it into six different metaphorical themes.

I

 

 

We called her Sero, like a cat pouncing on a strip,

Her dainty paws climb up the back of your skull,

With such a timid sound as they glide,

Her nose juts out; she is testing the waters,

No one knows what resides in that gray area,

She sniffs and then is satisfied with the results,

Because she is well and all is well,

All is well,

Her furry tail lounges against your mind,

Rhythmic sounds escape her jaw,

Your head doesn’t realize it yet,

But she is purring,

Because she is well and all is well,

All is well.

 

 

II

 

 

If all my serotonin came from one thing,

I believe it would reside in the color green,

There, in that secondary shade, lies plenty of logic,

Those new paints my art teacher bought,

The one I snuck to use was green,

My paint brush dabbing water onto my serotonin,

Green love, spreading down thinly or thickly on a page,

Heck, I created a whole painting with my serotonin,

The color green, so much makes sense there,

It can’t be wrong or misconstrued,

It is pure happiness in a hue,

When spring came and shot winter the bird,

With the birth of many birds in a nest,

The color that blossomed was none other than green,

My serotonin reviving the landscape with lush and life,

Trees swung in mint green robes, lawns ached for children’s feet,

The flowers modeled new trendy hairdos for the season,

Their stems in dresses designed by my serotonin,

Green is greatness, green is strength, green is serotonin.

III

 

 

What’s all the hype about?

No one knows but the wind,

It came in last night and sat on our porch bench,

Tired of constant ridicule and blame,

It asked us for some appreciation,

I sadly declined, saying my respect was all gone,

It had been dripped out of me,

Weary days stole it,

So the wind said to take it in with open arms,

And it would give me serotonin,

Who knew? There’s serotonin in wind!

I accepted and then felt its wonder,

Silver drapes glided in,

Each strand wiry and smooth,

I felt the gray ribbons circle around me,

At first as swooshing aerials in the sky,

But then they descended and I felt them pour in me,

Their bands wrapping around me with a thin shiver,

They shook the earth, the trees, they shook me,

And then I felt it,

Serotonin.

 

 

 

IV

 

 

Love,

A gateway drug that perks you up,

Or sets you down dreamily on a couch,

Love is the accent of highness,

Love is a carousel spinning in the heart,

Love gets you pumping, throbbing for more,

But I heard love’s got a kick to it,

The low after is so crushing and painful,

You wonder why you even started,

Peer pressure or need, I just want it,

But until then, I get buzzed on something else,

Serotonin,

Like cigarettes without a downfall,

It’s not as heavy as drugs, but its addicting,

I use to go on one a day, or even less,

Now I smoke cartons of it,

Cartons of serotonin,

And remember,

This is a metaphor, not a reference,

But there you go,

I puff packs away of serotonin,

And feel that buzz gladly.

 

 

V

 

 

 

I have two guitars in my room,

One is electric and very sharp,

The other is small and is an acoustic,

Completely untuned,

I like both because their good,

I strum the strings and listen,

And Serotonin comes out,

Such a beautiful sound,

Serotonin flutters in me and out,

Filling the hollowness with inspiration,

Music is serotonin,

And I want to hear more.

 

 

VI

 

                                  

Your thoughts are like serotonin,

Who knew you noticed so much?

But you do, you always do,

You see everything and judge them all,

Not cruelly, but just as observations,

And I started to think you were selfish,

But your not, you’re a missionary walking by,

You’re like serotonin in my veins,

A confirmation of everything I need and strive for,

But now I’m confused,

Things are awkward,

You don’t want to be there,

My serotonin is gone.

Reviews

[K.N. Thorn]

Astounding you took my breath away. You are so factual and intelligent, in fact every psychologist should have to read it while in school. I am so impressed I am about lost of words and I could read it again and again. I love the structure and phases as well. Beautiful job! I can't wait to read more.

[Rachel Harper]

Thank you! I'm really happy to hear that. Thanks again.