Chrysalis

I wrote this to thank the team of therapists doing DBT who'd helped me. It uses nature metaphors to explore mental illness and recovery.

winter branches tangled
with echoes-
seasons of dust-filled snow,
years of acid rain.

we locked ourselves
within.
like a blanket of clouds
we wore ourselves;
trapped.

we were black-and-white
and rigid steel;
we were silence-and-shouting
and too much give;
we were the butterfly effect,
consumed by our own storm;
we were all or nothing-
tsunamis and
the storm's eye.

we weathered
squalls and storms and
our own whipping branches-
we learnt to feel
spring rain
and gentle zephyrs;

the struggle was ours
but she, the sky,
fortified secret buds.

time bears witness:
these tangled branches
bud with life.

Author's Note

All constructive criticism is welcome, but please bear in mind that this poem's improper capitalisation is deliberate. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Reviews

[ice]

PK
"It uses nature metaphors to explore mental illness and recovery."
I use nature metaphors to explain, and explore my sanity, so I don't have to recover from mental illness..

Excellent poem, excelent metaphors...applause

[TheFemininePad]

An interesting read that required me to actually do a Google search. I had to look up DBT, and I read through the article. I read your poem after doing further research, and it helped me to understand your poem. I have to say that most writings don't require me to do that, and this was a refreshing change. I enjoy learning about new things, and this helped me to do that. I think this is well written, and I think you have a good poem here.

[Nyida Strong]

There seems to be a positive/negative push and pull going on. It feels like a really bad night inside my own head. Way to hit it square.

N. Strong

[Jessica Harmony]

:)

[...]

. wow! ... i didn't even know that could be done ... this is such an informative, insightful, thoughtful, poetic and moving dedication ... very intense ...