If you are manic-depressive, you’ll understand. If you’re not, try to understand… and ‘walk a mile in my Keds’! Amy
ON A DIME, IN A FLASH
Flopped on the couch like a road toad
flat as flannel
Brain accepts invisible code
BING! A channel
goes live – I’m up and about
Pop! Goes the manic
Look! The sun’s shining after all
Outside in a panic
Walking so fast my mind can’t keep up
Store. Buy. Food.
On the way walk home, starting to slip
home… not so… good…
Now that was one fast-cycling episode
Food barely to the kitchen
I’m back on the couch, potato load
Bipolar bitchin’
© 2010 Amy Barlow Liberatore/Sharp Little Pencil
Sharp Little Pencil 
Mary
I can definitely vividly picture this and walk that mile in your Keds!.
http://inthecornerofmyeye.blogspot.com/2010/06/no-change.html
Sharp Little Pencil
Of this I have no doubt! Who’s the cutie in your picture, by the way?
Mary
one of my dogs is the cutie! She’s cuter than I am, which is why I feature her
Sharp Little Pencil
I doubt anyone could be cuter than you, Mary.
1sojournal
Amy, liked all of this one, but especially the line:
Flopped on the couch like a road toad
flat as flannel
wonderful imagery,
Elizabeth
Sharp Little Pencil
Seems to be the fave line of my day. Thanks for commenting, Elizabeth!
brenda w
This piece is an interesting glimpse into your workings, Amy. You brought reader me along on this walk, and fall, while here I sit in my brand spanking new potato brown recliner. LOL
Thanks for sharing, I especially like….road toad, flat as flannel…
Sharp Little Pencil
Brenda, we are so much alike! The road toad, flat as flannel, was an image that dancing in front of my eyes. “Road toads” are actually toads that have been run over in Bermuda. I learned this while I lived there; they secrete a bit of poison and, if you’re unlucky enough to slide into one when you fall off your moped, it can be quite nasty. Not to mention gross!!
Gemma@Greyscale
Such a breathless pace in this poem reflecting the “push button” pace of sheer survival at times! And love the cutting final outburst! Dramatic! A great poem!
Sharp Little Pencil
Thanks, Gemma! This one really came out in a burst, just like the thought process the poem describes!
mypoeticlicense
Fast fast fast it read – well and fast.
Myself, depressed diagnosed, never manic…but I am. I get these ideas that hit me and I am in high gear, sailing with the sun, then either done (more often than not, not) and then slump, frump, down in the hopeless dumps. Of late (since kids), I find I’m more level and “content”…I always feel like change is bound to come like the New England weather.
– Dina
Sharp Little Pencil
I know all about high gear. Part of it is “drug outta you” (as my friend Cindy would say) by motherhood and its demands. But do pay attention to those ups, if they last for days at a time or you are unable to sleep… I’m just sayin’!! Glad to hear from you, D.
SandyCarlson
Seems to be a roller-coaster ride. Thanks for the insight, friend.
Sharp Little Pencil
It is. I’m very open about being manic-depressive to help break the stigma of mental illness. I can be wacky sometimes, but generally, I’m a grounded, faithful person with a great life. Those bumps in the road can be frustrating – and sometimes creative. Thanks, Sandy!
Tumblewords
I can feel the road. Very creative response to the prompt – it takes the reader along.
Mr. Walker
Thanks for letting me walk in your Keds. That sure is some quick change! Your poem works really well – I like the structure, the rhymes, the punctuation.
Sharp Little Pencil
Thanks, Mr. W. It’s all in the meds…!
uponthewingsofnight
This definitely gives me more insight into the manic side of manic-depression. Thanks for the peek inside, Amy.
Sharp Little Pencil
The more I write about my manic depression, PTSD, and the molestation I survived, the more others write back about their own experiences. The manic thing is in much better control, but I can feel when The Hypers are coming on and try to breathe… cleansing breaths! It never, ever works… ha ha
uponthewingsofnight
I’m thankful that I do not have any mental illness issues, just the occasional call of the siren. Life is enough of a challenge on its own, but to mix in manic depression, PTSD, etc. makes it doubly challenging. Brett
Sharp Little Pencil
Hey, whether it’s the call of the siren or a full-blown mental disorder, it’s called life. We live it to the fullest when we participate! Amy