My daughter is 15 months and does not have any interest in her paintings. For the paintings that mean a ton to me — the first time she tried brushes, the first time she proudly handed me a piece — I’m cutting them into holes, writing their significance and turning them into ornaments. The rest…

I Have A Friend by @jugs.judy I have a friend who, amongst steelworks and supermarkets and an hourly bus, cut herself a husk and has been building retaining walls ever since I have a friend who, in the litter flowing down the gutter, sees a river reflecting electric neon. Who does not smell the oil…

Steve Kowit called a list poem a “creative inventory.” Each word should be carefully chosen and memorable, but it still really is just a list. For example, here is one I found on the internet: “What’s in the box under my bed? eight marbles and a shoestring a shiny bubble gum ring two valuable baseball…

One of my dearest friends, Selwyn Jesse Injety, who is my first call whenever I have a bipolar related concern recently posted about his own disorder. I read it and felt soooooo proud of him. I also felt like it was a found poem, meant to be read! So I asked if I could publish…

I used a paper towel to clean up a mess. Now my daughter steals tissue and pretends to clean messes with them — her face determined, gaze steady. I want her to see me do cool stuff to copy the cool stuff I do! Today was kind of a shocker. I wasn’t feeling happy but…

I started doodling Henri during my two and a half week stay at mental hospitals. After that I went to a three month residential treatment facility where I created daily comics of my mental health journey using Henri. Drawing Henri has given me something to look forward to in my darkest hours. It has also…

Sometimes things get too intense, too overwhelming and you have to find your way back. It didn’t used to matter (to me) before I was a mother, but now I want to be present for my daughter. This where setting goals and evaluating my expectations for other stuff comes in handy. I made a daily…

Recently, in my little funk, I’ve been practicing a lot of avoidance behavior. This means going days without talking to everyone I don’t live with, and a side effect for that is thinking people are mad at me. I’m talking about believing everyone is actively hating me — from the butcher at the grocery to…

I know I have a touch of depression when several butterflies hatch at once and I’m not overjoyed. To be human is to have emotions that change, but when you’re stuck with the bummer ones it’s difficult to be active and thoughtful and think that you’ll change back. But if anything is a sign of…