Hi, I’m a Jam Jar
I’ve a label like a tin of peas
And my thoughts and feelings are a disease
Hi, I’m a Jam Jar and I can’t do the things normal people do
But give me a pill and I’ll be normal too
Hi, I’m a Jam Jar
Like a table that’s unstable . . .
But a Carpenter could put me right
Fix me quick overnight
Tidy my edges, smooth me out
But if that hurts I cannot shout
Hi, I’m a Jam Jar
I’m a piece of cloth you can cut to fit
Me a coat that I don’t like one bit
But you’ll keep on picking me apart
You’ll stitch me up and you’ll break my heart
No, I’m a Clock, you can fix me
Pick and mix me
And manoeuvre my thoughts, my hopes, my dreams
Make me doubt who I am, pick me apart at the seams
Hi, I’m a Person
And my thoughts and feelings aren’t a disease
And I’m not paying Psychiatrist’s fees
To label me to go with a pill
Hi, I’ve a Life
And I’ve messed things up and made mistakes
And sometimes that is all it takes
And add loss and grief and all abuse
Is this enough to put my neck in a noose?
Oh no, ‘cause I’m amazing
I’ve lived through Hell for a purpose and a plan
And so can every child, woman, man
And when it’s not just I, but We
Just think of the possibility
So you are not a Jam Jar or like a tin of peas
YOU aren’t a label or a disease
You are a unique being with vast potential
Remember this, it’s so essential
So let’s stand here all united
And listen as each one tells their story
Of Hell and Heaven, hope and glory.
And of what has made it worth the fight
To come out of the darkness and into the light.
©Karen Richards
Karen has been involved with P3's Derbyshire Independent Living service, and runs the Eureka Writing Group in Swadlincote, in association with Rethink.