chemically gagged
pharmaceutically silenced.
swallowing tiny thieves of
nuance and vibrancy
until depth and hue crumble like
damp sawdust
into a shallow,
timeless grave of
monotony
nestled by my heart
an internal barometer
measuring emotional vitality
no longer responsive
a total obliteration of moods
each one simply
truncated
where stormy pools of my sorrow
and elation once were
shafts of darkness and light
undulating tumultuously
a muted stillness settles
with motion
no longer
detectable
sunbeams, softly stretching
their
warm fingers into
my soul
on a beautiful bright day,
dimmed into
memories
the landscape of my soul
simply remains
two dimensions
tedium
banality
what use are those with
all others gone?
dullness, created by
little
pills in their varied shape
cotton-candy pastel
colours
icy
impenetrability
the life-giving supply of breath to
my sensibility stifled,
my inner self’s spirit
suffocated
turning blue
then grey
grey
no colour
no texture
nothing left to
soothe, or to
regulate
deadened sentiments
feelings
flatlined
Judith Staff
Judith Staff’s background is in teaching and early years education. She still teaches occasionally, though now her main focus is in child welfare and safeguarding children. Her work includes delivering training, presenting at conferences, and engaging in collaborative projects with schools around child abuse awareness and sexual violence prevention. She enjoys writing blogs and poetry on topics she feels passionate about. Judith loves running, gym classes and karate. She is married to an art lecturer and they live in Northamptonshire, England with their three free-spirited children, a 12- year-old son, and daughters aged 11 and 9.
