Obsession
The tug to be perfect, giving in to the crave,
Everything in its place in my own little cave.
It began with nothing, merely making something right,
Now all of a sudden it is something I fight.
It seems nothing could ever be exactly as it should.
A mind that is peaceful? I wish I could.
Each item in place, set a particular way,
It's getting harder and harder to keep these urges at bay.
The strive for perfection, always anxious and tense.
Only at my very best can I sit on the fence.
Even then it is strenuous, for no balance exists,
When it comes to these urges I cannot resist.
I wish I could explain what this feels like for me.
If I can't be perfect why can't everything else be?
From the outside it's crazy, but I don't know if you can tell,
Inside it's just me, suffering a torturous hell.
Simone Brick, 2013.
Still We Rise
Underneath my ink are stories, of places my mind has been.
Of battles I have faced alone, in a world that is unseen.
Unseen not because it’s rare, or invisible to the eye;
But unseen because the reality of it, makes people think you want to die.
Here the wind and the mountains reign king,
though the hares are abundant and the birds how they sing.
Like an army of ants with our food on our backs,
We humans traverse land from which nothing lacks.
Don't think, just move, your feet will find a way.
The less you stop and hesitate the drier your feet stay.
For your body is much smarter, than your brain will ever be,
The instincts that you hold within will allow you to run free.
I’ve never been so thankful for the shoes upon my feet,
allowing my safe traverse, over rocks and mud and streams.
I’ve never been so grateful for the gear upon my back,
All my simple needs in a single bright red pack.
Accompanied by loved ones, whom I admire and respect,
The mountain wilderness before me has a balancing effect.
To find the awe within your mind and explore the ways it works,
Or absorb the colours that surround you and the wildlife that lurks,
These bring about belongings which will never break or fade,
For every time you are truly here, lasting memories are made.
To the girls told to sit down and be quiet.
To be seen and not heard.
To behave more ‘ladylike’.
To dress more ‘ladylike’.
To eat more ‘ladylike’.
To BE more ‘ladylike’.
You are perfect as you are.
It’s the world that needs changing.
Growth never came from comfort.
Do the hard thing.
The path untravelled leads to unknown potential.
Follow it.
Some journeys we must walk alone.
Embrace it.
Some journeys must be fought together.
Let others in.
Silence use to scare me.
No, silence use to petrify me.
I couldn't sleep without music, dreaded gaps in conversation, and would do
everything in my power to fill my world with white noise.
Night time descends with a crushing darkness.
Into the abyss my mind travels.
Great desire for rest, great fear of the fall.
Hoping this time it won't hurt so much.
To allow sleep allows the subconscious to take over.
…
For years I have carried a huge source of pain,
One riddled with guilt that runs deep through each vein.
I blame myself for what happened, I didn't say no.
But I was a young girl, and I didn't know.