Hi all,

Two poems in one day, I hear you say? Well, this one is for a very kind lady called Juliet who made a £10 donation to my Acorns to Oaks Poetry on Demand Challenge. She requested a a poem about asking for help, so here it is… bit of a stream of consciousness this one, like all those times when you just don’t want to admit that you need some help and why that is, and how it’s so much easier to just admit it in the first place.

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In a Yellow Wood

Are you alright?

I’m fine, (I’m not fine)

Can’t you see? (You can see,)

Can’t you hear it in my voice? (You can hear it in my voice,)

I’m fine, (I need some help,)

Never better, (I don’t mind saying it,)

Nothing to see here (I feel better saying it,)

Leave me to it, (I feel better,)

I’m perfectly capable, (We’re good.)

Do you think I’m a fool?

Do you think I’m an idiot?

How dare you!

You think you’re better than me,

Help?

Ha! Help,

It’s because you’re watching,

I’d be fine if you weren’t staring at me,

I’m fine, I told you,

Well, I’d be more fine if you weren’t here,

More fine, it’s a thing,

Everything’s fine,

Because it has to be,

Because if I’m not fine, then I’m not good,

And if I’m not good enough then I must be bad,

And I don’t want to be bad!

Does any of this make sense?

It really doesn’t, does it?

I think I need help,

I’m not fine

You can see,

You can hear it in my voice

I need some help,

I don’t mind saying it,

I feel better saying it,

I feel better,

We’re good.

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I really don’t know what this is going to look like if you open it on a phone. The formatting is going to be all weird and all over the place because it’s meant to be two roads side by side. Maybe it all jumbled up will give even more of a confused air. Anyway, thanks for reading, and thank you Juliet.

All the best

Richard

Don’t forget the fundraiser is still active. I’ve got two more poems to do but they’ll have to wait until tomorrow now as it’s late.

Here’s a link to the Just Giving page…

https://www.justgiving.com/page/richard-austin-1722088118449?utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=page%2Frichard-austin-1722088118449&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=pfp-share

And here’s the poem on YouTube…