deepundergroundpoetry.com
neurotic
skip songs
knock three
times precisely
pause microwave
at twenty
five seconds
hit shuffle
can’t listen
to this
song one
more time
again to
even it
out, quick!
turn the
alarm off
the phone
if you’re
too late
you’re dead
don’t lock
the door?
he will
be there
to haunt
with knives
why don’t
they understand?
these compulsions
control.. control..
controls me
i think
can’t get
a grip
a meteor
might fall
from space
heart attacks
bridges and
train tracks
can’t quite
cross them
not before
i fall
or crush
beneath metal
i hit
the wall
mid way
my brain
tells me
i'm trapped
help me
my feet
always tapping
cannot sit
for long
i’m quite
busy when
i count
each tile
like sheep
at night
reach fifty
now you’re
allowed to
fall asleep
but only
for a
little while.
knock three
times precisely
pause microwave
at twenty
five seconds
hit shuffle
can’t listen
to this
song one
more time
again to
even it
out, quick!
turn the
alarm off
the phone
if you’re
too late
you’re dead
don’t lock
the door?
he will
be there
to haunt
with knives
why don’t
they understand?
these compulsions
control.. control..
controls me
i think
can’t get
a grip
a meteor
might fall
from space
heart attacks
bridges and
train tracks
can’t quite
cross them
not before
i fall
or crush
beneath metal
i hit
the wall
mid way
my brain
tells me
i'm trapped
help me
my feet
always tapping
cannot sit
for long
i’m quite
busy when
i count
each tile
like sheep
at night
reach fifty
now you’re
allowed to
fall asleep
but only
for a
little while.
Published 20th Apr 2022
Author's Note
NaPoWriMo 2022
20/30
20/30
All writing remains the property of the author. Don't use it for any purpose without their permission.
likes 2
reading list entries 1
comments 3
reads 657
Commenting Preference:
The author encourages honest critique.
20th Apr 2022 7:56pm
Thank you for sharing this.
I was diagnosed with OCD a little over 10 years ago now. My obsessions are largely to do with personal safety and this constant fear that my house is going to be broken into. I take a few thousand photos a week of locks, and doors, and switches, and ovens, and windows, JUST to prove to myself that they are shut / closed / locked. It’s an absolute nightmare.
So to say I related to the contents of this poem was an understatement.
-M
I was diagnosed with OCD a little over 10 years ago now. My obsessions are largely to do with personal safety and this constant fear that my house is going to be broken into. I take a few thousand photos a week of locks, and doors, and switches, and ovens, and windows, JUST to prove to myself that they are shut / closed / locked. It’s an absolute nightmare.
So to say I related to the contents of this poem was an understatement.
-M
21st Apr 2022 8:12am
Dear T,
Excellent depiction of energy involved describing ocd and anxiety. Setting it in this format leant itself to that fast rhythmic pulse. Very relatable piece. H🌷
Excellent depiction of energy involved describing ocd and anxiety. Setting it in this format leant itself to that fast rhythmic pulse. Very relatable piece. H🌷
21st May 2022 4:11pm
Wow, I really felt that. Your poem made me feel panicky and exhausted. I can't imagine how it must feel to live with that.
