by Robyn Joy

Does It Really Matter

When the beast pulls me back in 

wraps a blanket around my shoulders 

and whispers stay here 

it feels almost comfortable 

in the most uncomfortable way 

like I never left 

never had a string  

of normal good days 

like pearls shiny and smooth 

in my fingers 

but there is also the chatter 

the nonstop dialogue 

a laundry list of all the things 

undone, including laundry, 

so I flit about 

doing all the things 

a snap if there is a question 

because it disturbs the balance 

it’s like a pirate ship in here 

I don’t always steer out of the wave 

the hunger for comfort  

it’s constant 

I rarely find it 

or maybe I do  

and I have just forgotten that today 

the beast is like that 


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robyn Joy has been published in two Writers for Recovery anthologies, The Hippocrates Initiative’s 2020 anthology, Sixfold.org’s Winter 2020 issue, and as a West Trade Review Online Exclusive. She lives in central Vermont with her husband and precocious cat, where she can be found making visual art, experimenting in the kitchen, dissecting her dreams and thoughts, communing with animals, and practicing yin yoga. 

© 2024 DREXEL PUBLISHING GROUP 
All Rights Reserved

3141 Chestnut St.
Philadelphia PA 19104