Thanks for Asking

Yes, I have tried to just get over it, / the fragility & pain

A photo of the poet, Roxanna Bennett, who has dark straight hair and glasses. The background is bright blue and the photo of the poet is black and white.
The Walrus

     Yes, I have tried cleansing, cutting, bingeing,
purging, laughing, grieving, slutty fucking,
     cardio, physio, detoxing protocols, supplements,
surgeries, sedatives, laxatives, antidepressants,
     antipsychotics, hormones, opioids,
& yes turmeric, patience, positivity,
     cbt, dbt, group, art & music therapy,
outpatient, inpatient, sometimes involuntary.
     I have “wept & fasted, wept & prayed.”
Yes, I have tried to just get over it,
     the fragility & pain, I have tried
to explain but O god I am tired
     of the trial, of your questions,
of trying to be alive in your world.

Roxanna Bennett
Roxanna Bennett's second book, Unmeaningable, received the Raymond Souster Award and was shortlisted for the Trillium Book Award for Poetry.