He’s A Little Off

His head’s bent a tad
beyond the average frame,
thus unable
to see straight.  He’s skewed.

Be a little
charitable —
his path makes sense
to him, now.

A laugh or two
may be forgiven, maybe
even shared, but more than that
and he may cry,

or rage, or die.
It is not that he
is ignorant of
his ill fit: not at all.

It is not that he
is ignorant of the joke
in how he trips and falls:
no, not at all.

Rather,
he is beyond all that,
most of the time. Has
learned how to get where

he’s going,
most of the time.
You pointing it out
and smirking or fearing

brings him back
to when he did not know,
to when he fell more often.
And so, he cries,

or rages, or dies
inside. Perhaps
outside, too,
if the moment is right.

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About Tony Brown

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A poet with a history in slam, lots of publications; my personal poetry and a little bit of daily life and opinions. Read the page called "About..." for the details. View all posts by Tony Brown

2 responses to “He’s A Little Off

  • kreemer's avatar kolembo

    OH MY GOD! This brought out an instanteous yelp from me, a wrench of the heart I didn’t expect, an immediate rush of tears even though I’m smiling! Good god, it’s so clean and clear and lovely. Thank you so, so much.

    • Tony Brown's avatar Tony Brown

      Thank you. The stigmatization of mental illness and the mentally ill is a topic very close to my heart.

      Your own blog, by the way, is quite interesting.

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