by Neesa Suncheuri

This positivity is you.
I see my chances change.
My negativity leaves as
We speak and we exchange.

My fears of past are challenged now,
By healthy, better ways.
No longer am I paralyzed
And frozen in a haze.

I’ve worked damn hard to have my friends,
And now they guard me strong.
No longer am I fooled by creeps.
I know where they belong.

“Oh baby, we were meant to be.”
A phrase of rape and cheat.
My friends all say I am of worth,
And not one to mistreat.

My memories now are stories long,
And interesting, yes.
But I’m just glad that I’m alive
Along the road of progress.

And as I walk, I see the sun.
Her constancy shines tall.
My posture grows, my steps tread long,
No longer weak and small.

My hope is that one day I can
Influence as I’ve felt.
To tell my friends there’s more to life
Than cards that they’ve been dealt.

Neesa Suncheuri works as a mental health peer specialist at a housing agency in Queens, New York.  She is the founder of a Facebook discussion group for peer specialists and other recovery enthusiasts, entitled “What is Wellness?  A Mental Health Discussion Group.”  Much of her creative inspiration is rooted in her now-tamed schizophrenia.  She writes poetry and fiction, and maintains a blog called Unlearning Schizophrenia.  She is also a singer/songwriter, and an enthusiast for the German language and culture.  Follow her on Twitter at @neesasuncheuri.