Haunted: A Poem

Today, I have a bonus poem because on Wednesday, I just had to write this poem.  It's entitled "Haunted" , but it is not about ghosts or goblins or any Holloween type of things.  It's about a seriousinner haunting.

Haunted

I found this picture at

http://halmasonberg.files.wordpress.com

Kill yourself!
You’re worthless!
Why are you still here?

Schizophrenia

twists how people think,

twists how people feel,

twists how people act.

 

Schizophrenia

spawns paranoia,

spawns delusions,

spawns hallucinations.

 

Schizophrenia

  can drive people to kill,

  to kill others,

  to kill themselves.

 

The voices urge,

“Do It.”

“Do it now.” 

Schizophrenics

lost in a world of delusions,

a world of bizarre behaviors,

a world a psychosis.

 

When someone with schizophrenia

goes on a shooting spree,

everyone says they are evil.

 

They are not evil.

They are sick.

They need help.

 

Mental illness can happen to anyone.

The newspaper article states the tragic consequences of budget cuts for mental health services.  People who need to be institutionalized have no place to go.

©2 012 Catherine Giordano