Statutory Power

I slouched inside a hoodie with my head on fire,

clutching an empty bottle of Diazepam

I couldn't look into their eyes

for fear their fearless power would be catching

‘I don't want to be like this’ I screamed

to which the nurse replied I didn't have to be

The security guard escorted me to the door

with a warning not to come back drunk

I slashed my wrist with a sliver of the window

thinking ‘now they'll see how sick I am’

The police arrived and took a statement

from the psychiatrist

‘Attention-Seeking Behaviour’ he explained;

‘Borderline Personality Disorder

Manipulative, Time-Waster, Not to be Trusted,

A history of abuse so she claims’

‘Well, we'll put her in handcuffs

and that will teach her not to do it again’

Selected by Femi Oyebode. From Stigma & Stones: Living with a Diagnosis of BPD, poems by Sally Fox & Jo McFarlane. © Jo McFarlane. Reprinted with permission.

Through their collection Stigma & Stones, writers/performers/partners Sally Fox and Jo McFarlane seek to promote understanding, improve treatment and reduce the stigma of living with a diagnosis of BPD.