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Concussions feel like a biologic metaphor for mental illness

It literally boils down to a bruised brain,
How is that not a poetic description of mental illness?
And it comes with some damn similar side effects

I managed to bruise my brain at a roadside attraction
A place called South of the Border,
Smack dab between North and South Carolina
Yeah, yeah it's a clever play on words.

I can tell you right where I was when all of this started
I was hoisting myself onto the back of a jackalope
No this is still not a metaphor
It was a concrete animal meant for children.
And that is where the trouble began,
You see, I am not in fact a child.
My 5 foot 8 frame probably has a few feet on the child this was designed for
And consequently, I propelled the top of my head into a giant concrete ear.

I immediately knew this was bad
It is a miracle I didn't bleed.
But I was embarrassed so I walked it off and got back in the car.
It would be hours before we got to our destination so I dozed in the back seat
Until we hit Tallahassee, capital of Florida, and where my older sister was living at the time.

I would spend 10 magnificent days in the beautiful state of Florida.
We were there for Christmas and to say I remember very little of the trip is an understatement
I couldn't get out of bed in the hotel room.
My parents kept shoveling tylenol cold and flu into me
It seriously seemed like I had just gotten a bad cold.
I was dragged to a Christmas concert
My unwitting parents strapped skates to my feet and we tried skating on weird plastic
A sorry replacement for the real ice we had back home
And still an actual nightmare for me, unable to balance on my normal feet.

On the way home I helped to drive
A funny thing to note is I only had my permit, not a license
We took turns,
All the way up the east coast back to Boston
Only trouble was, and I didn't say anything...
My eyes couldn't quite focus.
You know when you are getting really tired but trying to finish just one more page of a book
And the lines get blurry and go double on you?
Yeah that was me, an inexperienced driver
Driving my grandmother's car full of her and my parents.
The fact that I managed that and didn't kill us all is a miracle.

When I got home I was swept to the doctors
My mother thought it was very concerning that I still had this annoying cold
I was sleeping all the time and couldn't remember words.
The nurse examined me and immediately asked if I hit my head.
I said yes and she had me sit in a dark room to take the concussion test
I fucking flunked.
My brain was bruised

I had to go to physical therapy with a concussion specialist
My eyes needed exercises to get them to work together
For six weeks I was allowed to do NOTHING
And drive NOWHERE
Did it matter that I had passed the first half of my national registry EMT test 2 days before my injury and needed to complete the written half of the test to be certified? NO
Could I look at my cellphone? NO
What about reading a book? EXTRA NO

Form a complete sentence? Sometimes
Recall the word I needed when telling a story? Absolutely NOT

It is a funny story and a terrible experience,
Here's the first half of an unfinished poem I wrote during my ordeal:

My feet are unsteady
And it's not because I'm swooning

If I close my eyes

The entire earth tilts

Back and forth it rocks

Keeping me on unsteady feet.

This time it's not anxiety

Causing a painful lack of air.

I guess I hit my head hard.

Not a metaphor this time.

It will not be followed by a cheesy

"Falling for you."

Simply, I hit my head.

And for four weeks

I am left with unfinished sentences

Misplaced words

And unsteady posture

How does this happen?

How is it okay that I lose days?

But it was just a bump

Description
body div#devskin0 hr { }

Concussions feel like a biologic metaphor for mental illness

It literally boils down to a bruised brain,
How is that not a poetic description of mental illness?
And it comes with some damn similar side effects

I managed to bruise my brain at a roadside attraction
A place called South of the Border,
Smack dab between North and South Carolina
Yeah, yeah it's a clever play on words.

I can tell you right where I was when all of this started
I was hoisting myself onto the back of a jackalope
No this is still not a metaphor
It was a concrete animal meant for children.
And that is where the trouble began,
You see, I am not in fact a child.
My 5 foot 8 frame probably has a few feet on the child this was designed for
And consequently, I propelled the top of my head into a giant concrete ear.

I immediately knew this was bad
It is a miracle I didn't bleed.
But I was embarrassed so I walked it off and got back in the car.
It would be hours before we got to our destination so I dozed in the back seat
Until we hit Tallahassee, capital of Florida, and where my older sister was living at the time.

I would spend 10 magnificent days in the beautiful state of Florida.
We were there for Christmas and to say I remember very little of the trip is an understatement
I couldn't get out of bed in the hotel room.
My parents kept shoveling tylenol cold and flu into me
It seriously seemed like I had just gotten a bad cold.
I was dragged to a Christmas concert
My unwitting parents strapped skates to my feet and we tried skating on weird plastic
A sorry replacement for the real ice we had back home
And still an actual nightmare for me, unable to balance on my normal feet.

On the way home I helped to drive
A funny thing to note is I only had my permit, not a license
We took turns,
All the way up the east coast back to Boston
Only trouble was, and I didn't say anything...
My eyes couldn't quite focus.
You know when you are getting really tired but trying to finish just one more page of a book
And the lines get blurry and go double on you?
Yeah that was me, an inexperienced driver
Driving my grandmother's car full of her and my parents.
The fact that I managed that and didn't kill us all is a miracle.

When I got home I was swept to the doctors
My mother thought it was very concerning that I still had this annoying cold
I was sleeping all the time and couldn't remember words.
The nurse examined me and immediately asked if I hit my head.
I said yes and she had me sit in a dark room to take the concussion test
I fucking flunked.
My brain was bruised

I had to go to physical therapy with a concussion specialist
My eyes needed exercises to get them to work together
For six weeks I was allowed to do NOTHING
And drive NOWHERE
Did it matter that I had passed the first half of my national registry EMT test 2 days before my injury and needed to complete the written half of the test to be certified? NO
Could I look at my cellphone? NO
What about reading a book? EXTRA NO

Form a complete sentence? Sometimes
Recall the word I needed when telling a story? Absolutely NOT

It is a funny story and a terrible experience,
Here's the first half of an unfinished poem I wrote during my ordeal:

My feet are unsteady
And it's not because I'm swooning

If I close my eyes

The entire earth tilts

Back and forth it rocks

Keeping me on unsteady feet.

This time it's not anxiety

Causing a painful lack of air.

I guess I hit my head hard.

Not a metaphor this time.

It will not be followed by a cheesy

"Falling for you."

Simply, I hit my head.

And for four weeks

I am left with unfinished sentences

Misplaced words

And unsteady posture

How does this happen?

How is it okay that I lose days?

But it was just a bump