I Am Safe 4.10.2009 Poem by Margaret Alice

Luckily I was armed against this contingency –
you and Tiaan laughing at car programs, I’ve
got a hole in my heart, nowhere to park my
restless mind, no way to harness my
thoughts, drifting aimlessly
after reading Tiffany

I couldn’t watch TV with you because of that black
hole at the back of my mind – but I was prepared
with “Soul Music” by Pratchett, started reading,
found a safe place in which to exist – if you
weren’t here, I wouldn’t have been able
to go look for a place

While you keep ordinary reality upright, I can trace
a route to a safe mental plane that keeps me
sane as chocolate cake takes its revenge –
reading about Susan’s attempts to sort
out her life, I’m safe – there’s always
extra reality around

If I don’t fill up the space, I start to drift away from
reality - with a book that fills my mind and
touches my heart, I’m anchored to a
perspective that keeps me above
the hole of meaninglessness,
now I am safe…

Tiffany: The main character in Terry Prachett’s “A Hat Full Of Sky”
Susan: Death’s granddaughter in Terry Prachett’s “Soul Music”