Poems

When I tell people I have OCD,
I often get told “Oh, just like me.
I need to keep things very tidy,
I’m a little bit OCD.”

But do you constantly count in your head,
Do you have to touch everything you walk past,
Do you get terrible images pop into your mind,
Every day, hundreds of times?

Do you feel an overwhelming sense of anxiety,
Every time you feel compelled to count,
Every time you feel you have to tap,
Each time you need to get rid of those thoughts that are engulfing you with fear.

Compulsions that create a brief sense of relief,
For anxiety to rear its ugly head,
Once again, a mere few seconds later.

Do you constantly feel exhausted from the continual barrage of confusion,
From the frustration and anger you feel inside,
Because you can’t stop yourself.
You can’t control your mind.

Do you feel like you’re going insane,
Because you know what you do and think it’s strange,
But you cannot seem to get a grip of your brain.

Do you wonder to yourself,
How have I got into this vicious cycle?
Am I ever going to work out how to break free,
From these constant feelings of anxiety.

Do you feel like you’re the only person who has to do these strange actions,
To feel some sense of normality for the feelings to just come back,
Even more intensely.

If you’re reading this and you can relate,
Please know that there is a way out.

You’re not alone with OCD.
You’re just like me!
And you too can break free.

There is a way out of this obsessive controlling reality.

by Suzi Davis