by Neesa Suncheuri

Are you around, or have you disappeared?
I wonder, if I’m suitable for you.
My past with men, these memories I’ve since feared,
Now ruminate and putrify what’s true.
Your friendly ways, entirely new to me,
Make me realize that I’m of worth and weight.
I’ve lost so many years, but still I’m free,
And now I’m optimistic of my fate.
I now avoid all nasty, evil men.
I hope you still remain within my view.
At times, your absence causes fret, but then
You reappear, and I’m no longer blue.

The greatest lesson I have ever learned:
Time passes… only then are friendships earned.

Neesa Suncheuri
Staff Writer – Poetry

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.