The Tick Box Exercises – Written December 2023 (Aged 48)

The Tick Box Exercises

in my thirties, it’s true, i did feel content
but fate…
well, that clearly held me in contempt
and from disasters,
i was never exempt
if only mental health, my mental health
had been more well meant
if only my skills,
had been properly sent
and any advice from me,
had been properly lent
because in my thirties,
everything just ended up hell bent
i was caught with my checklist
and it’s ink had already started to ferment
and when sanity,
was gloriously missed
after the days,
when my toxicity was clearly very pissed
when my marriage,
was a must fit,
when the lights of love,
were easily lit,
but when those bulbs started to dim
i realised the switch no longer had a click
and our lollipop,
had lost it’s lick
and now, looking back on those days in my thirties
i cannot say that they are missed,
but then life is an ongoing revolution
fought on sands that constantly shift

James Garratt – December 2023


More poems at
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More about this blog, The Boy Behind the Glasses, here
https://theboybehindtheglasses.com/2020/01/08/the-boy-behind-the-glasses-an-introduction/

More poems from 2023 herehttps://theboybehindtheglasses.com/category/poems-and-writing-2023/