OCD

My parents divorced when I was five;
I swore never to eat another tomato.

I  line up condiments and cutlery, never
step on the cracks, and everything

must
pair.

I will check that the stove is off,
once, twice, thrice and again.

I will touch wood lightly
four times, before speaking.

a place for everything
and everything in its place

the house is neat and clean,
but the weather outside is wild,

the house is neat and clean,
and I am calm inside.

I grew tired of matching the colours
of pegs on the line,

so now I use
a clothes dryer.

I will not eat a tomato;
my parents are still apart.

_________________

Note: This poem is based on an old friend of mine who has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) – she told me the tomato story and it stuck with me – she knew how irrational it sounded but she understood that that is the nature of OCD – the desire to control the uncontrollable world around us.

Nuddernote: OCD stands for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.