Baptism
Written in November 2019
when your mind wants you dead
hold on to reality
stay out of your own head
delve into that of somebody else
better yet
stay out of minds altogether
take inventory of what is real— what is felt
linger on scents, sounds, and sensations
and when you find your mind moving ahead
tell it no. not today.
curl up in a fetal position in bed
rest your eyes even if your mind is still awake
in the morning, fight the urge to remain there in that bed
get up. shake yourself off.
wet the curls that sit atop your head
you are baptized; made new for today.
when your mind wants you dead
fight back
grasp tightly onto what you know
and even tighter onto what you don’t