THE MADNESS VASE
The nutritionist said I should eat root vegetables.
Said if I could get down thirteen turnips a day
I would be grounded, rooted.
Said my head would not keep flying away
to where the darkness lives.
The psychic told me my heart carries too much weight.
Said for twenty dollars she’d tell me what to do.
I handed her the twenty. She said, “Stop worrying, darling.
You will find a good man soon.”
The first psycho therapist told me to spend
three hours each day sitting in a dark closet
with my eyes closed and ears plugged.
I tried it once but couldn’t stop thinking
about how gay it was to be sitting in the closet.
The yogi told me to stretch everything but the truth.
Said to focus on the out breath. Said everyone finds happiness
when they care more about what they give
than what they get.
The pharmacist said, “Lexapro, Lamicatl, Lithium, Xanax.”
The doctor said an anti-psychotic might help me
forget what the trauma said.
The trauma said, “Don’t write these poems.
Nobody wants to hear you cry
about the grief inside your bones.”
But my bones said, “Tyler Clementi jumped
from the George Washington Bridge
into the Hudson River convinced
he was entirely alone.”
My bones said, “Write the poems.”
15 Responses to The Madness Vase
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Jeremy says:
Beautiful. Thank you for listening to your bones and bringing this poem into the world.
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This is wonderful. I am so glad you write, publish, and speak your poems. They save me when I think I am all alone. Thank you.
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Nela says:
you wrote this on 15th November – that date is my birthday.
It gave me the strenght I have been crying for for so long…
thank you. for your existence. Thank you that you breathe, Andrea. You’re saving, making lives all around the world so much brighter, more conscious and aware of their life and purpose on this world.
You’re changing the world. Don’t ever forget that.
I’m now 18, from a tiny European country, and am finally ready to make some decisions that I’ve been pushing away for so long because I was scared. I’m not scared anymore.
Thank you so much.. -
mason says:
you are a golden soul. i just heard say yes because of reddit and couldnt help but close my eyes and feel it sink in. thank you
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Dear Andrea,
If there is a god, she is you incarnate. I want to see your face when the white light surrounds me and hear these words spill from you in the tiniest whisper as i slip from earth-womb to next-womb.
and tonight, i hold your trauma in my wrinkled palm. i take it’s weight for a few moments and then and bring it to my ears. somehow, this means something to me. something important.
i have the space to hold it for you tonight. and so, allow yourself to be free of that weight for a bit.
thank you for choosing to land earthside during the same time i did.
leigh
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Jen says:
You’re amazing, and I’m sure you are too humble to really believe it, but you are. I am so glad someone shared what you’re about on Facebook because I’ve really been missin’ out. Keep it up!
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Stephanie Hatfield says:
Sooooooo my escape is to write songs and play guitar. The thing is…i always end up feeling like i am complaining too much or no one really cares what i have to say or wanna hear about how i feel about different circumstances… places… girls… life. Granted… at the end of the day i still always pick up a pen and start writing what i feel into lines… then phrases… then verses… then before i know it i either put my notebook down to finish what i was writing for another day or i have a song that depicts my deepest emotions.
This poem made me realize… yah… there are people that don’t give a shit. but.. why should i give a shit what they think. I do what i do for me… in hopes that someone can relate to it somehow. If someone can’t relate.. it’s fine. But writing and playing is part of who i am.. so i cant let ignorance get the best of me now and… most importantly… i cant ignore my feelings. “The Madness Vase” hits a lot of emotions that i feel/ have felt.. and it is nice to be able to read such an articulate piece of writing. i can only hope one day i am half as good.Just to let you know… which im sure LOTS of people have already told you… the power of your word has brought hope to many people who have lost hope in most… if not all things. Thank you for being so amazing. I kno that sounds kind of depressing BUT what is amazing is that sometimes all people need is a realization. You are that realization for a lot of people… including me.
<3
OH! and .. see you January 19th in Bloomington, IL! AHH IM SO EXCITEDD
Stephy
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Shirley says:
This is an amazing poem, your poems gives me strength and hope and brings live to me. I wish you come to Puerto Rico, your voice is needed here.
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momo says:
Thank you.
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chris says:
dear Andrea
I was just wondering if there was an adress i could send you a letter to? i dont have facebook or myspace, just not something i am interested in. I dont see any las vegas shows coming up anytime soon so instead of going to a show i just wwanted to send a letter.
thank you. -
Your poetry is amazing… its truly inspiring and has really helped me, in more ways than one… thank you
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marilyn says:
I like what you have to say and the way you say it. One can listen and feel uncomplicated or complicate the hell out of your words. It’s one’s choice and good poetry is all that and more. Thank you.
You’re a true inspiration, and this is very beautiful. It’s hard to read your writing without tearing up. Thank you.