Monday, October 8, 2012

Sick Woman


When Tess Kincaid provided us with this image of 'Sick Woman' by Jan Steen at The Mag two oddly dissimilar things came to mind.  They are (and I'm not proud of this) as follows:

In the immortal words of Robert Palmer:

Doctor, Doctor gimme the news
I got a bad case of lovin’ you.
No pill is gonna cure my ill -
I got a bad case of lovin’ you. 


And the other was inspired by a quote from Edna St. Vincent Millay, which seems quite fitting as it is featured on the Willow Manor blog. 
“You see, I am a poet, and not quite right in the head, darling. It’s only that.” 

So with that in mind I came up with this:


The voices are so loud today;
why can’t you hear them too?
They set my skull to vibrating
and pierce my temples through.

Nonplussed, my pulse can scarce push past
the throng that crowds my heart.
The pills you push will not convince
these voices to depart.

Churning, yearning they all want  
for me to give them voice,
Bring me my pen and paper, don’t
you see I have no choice?


And there you have it.
This is also at the open link night at dVerse.  Check out the others there.




53 comments:

  1. Nice!!!

    I love how you combined Robert Palmer and Edna St. Vincent Millay. I often feel I'm not quite right in the head.

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    1. Er...yes, quite the stretch. I think we all get that 'not quite right in the head.
      Aren't you glad Edna put it in print for us?

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  2. Fine rhyme, fine meter = very good.

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  3. The rhyme did flow
    And that ache can grow
    But don't stop a toe
    And write away at your show

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    1. Thanks Pat, you always visit my pad, and that makes me glad.

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  4. Smashing rhyme.
    My head feels a bit like that, and nobody else seems to hear these noises.
    I enjoyed this.

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    1. I get that too Aprille - thank you, glad you liked it.

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  5. .. and there we have it! Loved this ...

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  6. I love the thread you used to weave the poem you made. Pills we push, oh, yes...

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  7. Love it, the rhyme and the creative inspiration for it! Yes, let those voices speak through a pen!

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    1. Thank you Susie - and thanks for your support on fb.

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  8. A uniquely wonderful response to the prompt photo, Mary.
    K

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  9. Really love this combo..so many special influences, (well, 3) Vibrant, very bright!

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  10. Thank you Lyn, I value your opinion.

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  11. glad i returned the favor of a visit now - great poem - and what's wrong with quoting Robert Palmer?

    erm...(he he)

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  12. Hey, thanks Don - I'm glad you stopped by too.

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  13. A sort of medieval prozac , if you like !, how charmng, Mary

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  14. One must listen to the voices in their head for sure....love this Mary!!

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    1. Thanks Carrie, they sure say nice things to you!

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  15. Don't ever try to stop the voices, Mary.

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  16. This is very good. I love the playful style with a little edge to it. Like- is she really just a little bit crazy? Are we all?

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  17. Very fun! I don't think they had meds back then for voices -- they drilled holes in your head or tortured with cold water or racks.

    May I share a story, though:

    "I hate the medicine -- I can't hear God when I take them."

    Said to me by a strange man in a coffee shop at three in the morning during a psychotic rant when I asked him point blank, "Are you still on medications?"

    He was arrested the next day for killing both of his parents.

    We are lucky when the voices are our friends, eh!

    [not following, feel free to e-mail]


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    1. How chilling. There definitely is a very dark side to this too.

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  18. ha this is fun mary...i think all of us poets are a little sick in the head the way we see the world...most times in a good way but dang its haunting when i wont let you go and makes you write...smiles.

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    1. I sort of joke about it, but of course mental illness is a terrible thing. Thanks Brian.

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  19. I love your two initial inspirations for this...and the poem is so apropos for the painting!

    By the way...
    UH...UH...ARRGHHH...THE VOICES...OH NO...STOP ME BEFORE I WRITE ANOTHER POEM!

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    1. Hahaha - Thanks Timoteo. And, thank goodness that's ALL the voices tell us to do!

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  20. It's a bit like that...those voices, it's when I don't hear them that I get scared. Lovely write, I didn't even notice the rhyme the first read.

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    1. Thanks - I think not noticing the rhyme is a good thing, right?

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  21. Very lyrical - lightens the subject of the "sickness" but deepens it as well. Easily set to music..the poem rocks!

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  22. Very well expressed, Mary. Your poem definitely fights back against the image of docile frailty in the pose of the woman in the picture. Paper and pen(or keyboard and screen) are my medication of choice also--thanks for the great preceding quotes as well.

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    1. Thank you Joy, and may I say you're very well medicated!

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  23. smiles...there's no cure against love...and none against poetry as well...luckily..smiles

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  24. I really like what you did with this picture.he p I definitely understand having no choice.....and the concept of bringing pen and paper.

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  25. I agree that we poets/would-be poets are a weird bunch which, I think, helps us in our metier.

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    1. Thank you Victoria...sorry I missed you comment earlier.

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  26. A couple of more lines and you could turn this crazily, inspired poem into a bizarre sonnet. The rhyme scheme is perfect! I'm thinking this suggestion fits in with the general theme of joining oddly dissimilar things. This is richly creative Mary. Thank you for sharing. =D

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    1. Thank you Linda, except I would also need two more syllables per line to make a traditional sonnet. I always appreciate your thoughtful comments.

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  27. I know those voices! We should get together and talk about them; that would really show them!
    Love this poem and the story behind it. Seems like sometimes the voices are boss; the lunatics are running the asylum!

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    1. Hahaha - yes, we should get together, that would be an interesting chat! Thanks.

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  28. Nicely done - sometimes we need to listen to the voices...

    Anna :o]

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