02/24/22 [POEM ONE]

B.A. O'Connell

The rot must be revealed before

the new can be put in—

the sickness must ravage the

body before a transformation—

I must recognize that I am ill;

If I am to recover,

rebuild,

I must know

that I need to

rebuild

—if not

I am reconstructing

a sandcastle

on the shore

before a tsunami

blind to the death to come.

When a pivotal moment in B.A's youth caused them to turn to poetry with serious intent, it changed their life. Today, they often pen four to eight poems a day. B.A's poetry and their blog (https://hellishrebukesystem.tumblr.com) focuses on poems and art centring around trauma, recovery, and mental health. B.A also touches on themes of abusive, obsessive, and unhealthy relationships, and the pain of moving on from them. Find out more on their Twitter @OnceIateataco.