duke's mayo

you showed up to group therapy one day

wearing a red suit jacket, pants, a hat with a black band

and a peacock feather

i was shocked

someone who hides behind ripped jeans and rick ’n morty hats

proudly displaying another side of the

sphere that makes you who you are. 

we did a therapy exercise where our

therapists put us in a trance and told us to hide our 

worries in whatever container came to mind

now

your worries will be held captive in a jar of duke’s mayo.

you wore a pink floyd shirt that day

and i was the only one who could name the album

when your meds changed

you hit a five day depressive episode and wouldn’t talk

i was scared 

because sometimes people don’t make it out of those episodes intact

and even though i didn’t know you

i knew a fraction of your mind

and that was enough for me to truly love you in that moment. 

i really don’t know who the hell

puts an exclamation mark in a poem

but i do know this:

you’re gonna rule the world one day

and i’ll be here when you do. 

my word for you is oceanic

beautiful on the surface but

full of so much wisdom and depth

that you hardly let people see.

be safe out there.