Tabatha Yeatts is an exceptional poet, and often has poetry projects into which she invites others. I am a goof, and a terrible joiner; I often THINK about adding a poem when invited, or I start a poem, and then hate it, and slink away… So, I’m doing justice to her National Poetry Month project called Things I Wish You Knew, where poets examined parts of the self that are deeply personal and generally overlooked. Hidden disabilities and trauma, things which make us ‘other’ – giving voice to these parts of the self that often remain hidden can be cathartic. Do you have an ‘owner’s manual?’ What things do you wish people knew about you?
anxious
these things i wish you knew:
some days the world’s a maze
with trap doors i fall through
land mines left in hallways
silence gets misconstrued –
my anxious brain steals words
i don’t agree with you
but can’t make my voice heard.
there’s nothing you can do –
ignore my sweaty hands
it’s panic’s residue
i hope you understand.