mental illness

Poetic Just Us

/ Karina Pinella / 8 Comments

(2nd of a mini-series of taking poetic license)

We had rollicking times,
We got away with all kinds of crimes
Because it was just us.

We had our share of ups and downs,
Though we managed to bury our frowns
Because It was just us.

But the bad days would multiply,
And we just wanted to cry
Because it was just us.

We became so unhappy,
We went through years of therapy
Because it was just us.

I woke from my repression,
Which lifted the depression,
And realized my true identity;
It was just me.

My subconsciousness
Had made up just us.

Image: Pixabay

1st of the mini-series: Poetic Just Is
3rd
4th
5th

Afterwar

/ Karina Pinella / 10 Comments

Image: Pixabay

Brother-in-arms
Greeted with open arms,
Briefly disarmed
By disarming the ones you love.

But nighttime sounds of armaments
Break through the arms of Morpheus;
Can’t keep the memories of war
At arm’s length.

Thank you for your service*
And how you brought us peace,
Shouldn’t we do more
To help pick up your pieces?

 *Title of a thought-provoking movie, which is inspired by true events. The film follows four soldiers returning home from Iraq and their struggles in trying to settle back into civilian life. Main cast: Miles Teller, Amy Schumer, Haley Bennett, Scott Haze, and Beulah Koale

The Dead Student by John Katzenbach (a book review)

/ Karina Pinella / 3 Comments

This is a book about revenge and retribution with damaged characters trying to find ways to cope. The main character, Timothy “Moth” Warner is a PhD student and a recovering alcoholic whose sponsor is his uncle, Dr. Edward Warner, a psychiatrist. Warner, a veteran alcoholic himself who was nearly 7,000 days sober (more or less) is found dead. Cause of death is ruled a suicide, the final conclusion based on evidence. But Moth doesn’t believe it because he knows his uncle would never desert him; he was not suicidal and he had too much good in his life to live for. And so, the search for the truth begins . . . Continue reading →

Welcome to Me (a movie review)

/ Karina Pinella / Leave a comment

If you like reality shows, you will find this as another extension of the concept. This movie is about a woman who decides to get off her medication that treats her borderline personality disorder. She wins an $86 million lottery jackpot and purchases time in a flagging infomercial T.V. station so she can air her own show featuring anything and everything about her life and troubles. This is not really a laugh-out-loud comedy; it is more of a portrayal of a mentally unstable person who makes decisions that produce (un)intentional, comic results. Kristen Wiig plays the troubled woman’s role, supported by Joan Cusack, James Marsden, Tim Robbins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Wes Bentley. Continue reading →