Joe Kelly: High Anxiety

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< Poems by Joe Kelly > < Poems for BEAT >

High anxiety, there’s a lot

of it about

Choc a bloc
on the old treadmill
much congestion
standing still
mental deliverance
with adversity
shouting out
racing hard
beating out
what's the time
where's the venue
pulse is racing
every sinew
no time to loose
go go go few ideas
whada you know

difficult person
strutting about
in the queue
giving it out.
blood pressure mounting
tension rising
look out look out
high anxiety
there is a lot of it about.

Delhi belly
in the bin go
paper bag
leave it out
way inside you
you are screaming out
helter skelter
tumbling dice
acceleration
paying the price
will I get there with time
to recover
take a pill
and then another
tension mounting
adrenalin pumping
pumping out
it beeping
while standing still
must sit down
save my pins
meanwhile nearby
what about it
sexy woman
giving it out
bang my knee
assault my senses©
time to rest
rest my senses :-)

This poem was also published to complement the second of three paintings (below) by Kim McLaughlin reflecting the effects of borderline personality disorder (BPD) on the sufferer, exhibited at St Johns, West Ealing in 2017 as part of BEAT (the Borough of Ealing Art Trail). The two companion poems, by Godfrey Rust, are here and

here.