PUNK POETRY: Eye to Eye by Alien Baby

He called it a divine appointment

and it made sense to me

 

he told me his story 

about the straitjacket

and injections

and lithium

and God.

 

he told me to never get on meds

that mental illness is not real

it’s something humans have created to better understand

people like us

people that express themselves in outrageous ways

but that it doesn’t make us any less human

or permanently ill from birth till death

 

he told me 

he found his purpose through God

he told me to find my light

he told me not to let the darkness take me.

 

We shook hands

I almost asked for a hug

 

He took off his sunglasses and I could see it in his eyes

the crazy

 

Is that what people see when they look into mine?

or do they not see what they don’t know?

--Alien Baby