Rant (a positivity poem)

Here is a poem called RANT from my next poetry collection (called STRING THEORY) which tackles the issues of mental health / PTSD.

 

I don’t get tired

I breathe through my eyes.

 

Can a hairdresser give themselves a haircut?

They can cut the fringe but can’t do the back.

You need to trim yours now. Get the hair out of your eyes.

 

You can’t see how great you are

cos you’re running in your own lane.

Look how far you’ve come?

Other people ain’t got that.

Other people can’t do that.

It’s like on the starting line and you got to race to a 100.

You’re passing people starting from zero.

You’re passing people starting from one,

people who’ve had every advantage,

people who were running before the gun went off

and you were starting from ‘minus 50’.

In real terms, you’re passing Usain Bolt.

 

You are world class.

You’re: A.

You’re: A star.

You’re: A star star.

 

You don’t believe me or your mates about how good you are

cos we’re your mates.

It’s only when somebody who ain’t us

tells you the same thing

that you believe

and when you see them a few times,

you don’t believe them either.

 

Easy way –

write it down.

Take your name off, call yourself ‘Mr A’

then mail it to somebody you don’t know,

who knows about these things.

Say you’re asking for a friend.

Write down all that you’ve done,

how far you’ve come from your starting block.

 

We’re talking: A

We’re talking: A star,

We’re talking: A star star.

 

You’re lapping people,

lapping people for real.

So we don’t do no pity party.

That’s not our style.

So you gotta get out of bed, you hear me?

 

You’re magnificent.

 

When you wake up the first thing you gotta tell yourself is,

‘I am fantastic – no ifs no buts’

and if people don’t like it they can fuck off.

 

I can’t hear you. You need to say,

 

‘I am fantastic – no ifs no buts’

‘I am fantastic – no ifs no buts’

‘I am fantastic – no ifs no buts’

‘I am fantastic – no ifs no buts’

 

and if people don’t like it, they can fuck off.

 

You think I talk too much?

I must be knackered?

This isn’t work.

How can telling the truth be work?