deep south 2013
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dsj poetry
psychiatric hospital
1
it's my kindergarten she
tells her children
she's doing her phd she
cuts
and pastes
cuts and pastes
to save her life
2
she's sitting with the others around a table
scissors glue womens weekly house and
garden new idea steve gives each an empty notebook to
decorate with pictures and words
john is crying at the end
of the table
today she can't she
can't
pick
up
the
scissors
3
barry's back with flowers
every few months he visits
my meds need fine-tuning he says
he'd have a doctorate in english if
he hadn't been ill for the last five
decades dr barry she calls him
my garden is in bloom he tells her with a smile
pink and red rhododendrons the delicate white
cherry blossom is glowing bright blue cornflowers
daffodils and roses albertine is my favourite an old-
fashioned climber what a perfume it's divine sweet soft honey and lime
the grass is getting long
4
susan has a bird voice
like crystal
maybe a tui
she sings for us on her last day
she's been here five times
she isn't well she's jittery
skinny dark green sweater
too-big eyes hardly blink
she will sing again like before
leave her house do the shopping go for coffee she
will she will
sing
5
wish I could wave a magic wand and
make you better the nurses always said
so on the day she's discharged
she gives the group a clear plastic magic
wand with silver and gold and red sparkling
stars floating inside it and a pair of dress-up
glasses that make you see rainbows everywhere
and a notebook filled with pictures and words cut out of magazines
6
one of these days
she tells herself
one of these days
she'll fill a red balloon
to nearly bursting
with song
song from her heart
then lean far out
from the window ledge
let it go
and watch its string trail
crazy across the sky
Winifred Kavalieris is a Dunedin poet. Her sources of inspiration include an Australian heritage, wild places, and Diane Brown's writing course.
