Diana Darby ** "I V" ** Intravenous

Voices

Crazy.
Yes.
That voice inside my head.
The one proclaiming so much doom and gloom.
The one that leaves me spinning
and taking me down a road I really don’t want to go down.
Yes,
that one.
You know.
The one that tells you about how awful everyone is
and how you’ll never have this or that,
and how everyone’s life is better than yours.
Yes,
that one.
The one that makes you compare yourself to someone else
and you never end up winning the contest.
The one that makes you scared to try something new.
The one that makes you focus on the past and forget the future.
The one that says it won’t happen.
Ever.
Yes,
that one.
I’ve been listening to that one for too long.
I’ve let it drag me around in the mud,
in the gutters,
in the crawlspace where the cave crickets live
and the water is thick with mold.
I’ve been listening to that voice for so long
I forgot to listen to the other voices in my head.
Good voices.
Fun voices.
Nice voices.
Voices that tell me to lighten up and be merry.
Voices that remind me of how much I have
and how grateful I should be.
Voices that let me give love
and let me feel love from those around me.
Voices
that help me remember who I really am.
Yes,
those voices.