Losing Lithium 4

[Groks]

Also, in order for any of these poems to make sense, I went through the whole experience of "drying out" off of lithium with the very bare minimum of some (but not even all) of my other medications. Why I wasn't allowed to take my usual, larger dosages, I do not know.

Losing Lithium 4
(Now that the lithium is gone)

I can't shake it
A deep melancholy has washed over me
I try to think of something positive
My body chemistry won't listen

I had no idea that lithium shielded me
From THIS
Depression, unmovable
Ridden with anxiety

Everything is tinged with strange colors
Sadness warps every thought
My gut churns and churns
Feels like it's going to spill over

I really can't shake this

A friend drives me to my shrink
Who gives me new prescriptions
I get home and the depression reverses itself

I stand in the middle of my kitchen
Giggling
And I can't shake that either
I start singing
“I'm not crazy I'm just a little unwell!”
Giggling and singing

My new meds go down my throat
That night
Ah, the miracle of modern day science
I feel better in the morning
Already

k.s. April 2008