Navigating With A Notepad Poem by H.M. Gautsch

I'm trying to sit in the dark,
Late at night, staring out at the stars,
While sorting out my thoughts to write another poem.
Yeah, it might sound like the same old song,
But the pen and pad are the only things I can depend on.
It's hard to have family and friends
Who can't see or understand any of my social problems.
Some days I'm quietly awkward,
Other days I'm rudely obnoxious.
Maybe I'm a good actor,
Or maybe, I just don't know how to act.
I am sure people think I am just playin'
To get money from the government,
But if I was doing that,
I'd apply for other assistance,
Along with food stamps.
I don't want any of that,
I just want to live peacefully before I'm dead.
If I was faking my problems,
I wouldn't have prolonged my issues from 2009,
Or even longer, like...

...my whole life.

I wouldn't still be walking that fragile line.
People just rather be blind,
To the facts of my short term memory distortion,
My insomnia, and the voices in my conscience,
That transfers through my body, to my fingers,
To the pen to form these words on this notepad.
In my eyes, I don't see insecurity with my vulnerability.
If that was the case, I wouldn't have the courage to share my story.
So what if I am a bit sensitive or even a bit pensive,
My depression and anxiety has always been repetitive,
I've accepted these anti-socializing traits,
The best of this world's artists can relate.
I am sure other kids can to, but too scared to navigate,
And get lost deep inside their heart,
Emotions, and words to collate, in return create this art.
So if you're afraid, just turn to my unique poetic philosophy, Descartes.
I wish people would stop being concern about how the world looks at me,
I'll be the executive producer of my decisions and consequence,
Revealing the tattoos and scars that live deep down in my heart.
It's my skin. It's my ill mind. It's my life.
So I'll keep dishing these poems like my pen is a spoon or fork,
Because it seems it's the only therapy that truly works.
So if you think I am writing to ask for help,
I'm not. By the time this poem ends, I'll be my better self.
I just want to thank you for reading and listening,
To my rhymes, my provocative conditioning.