10 Pints

A big part of my writing process was not just finding rhyme but finding the rhyme that rang true to my experience. My favorite thing to do when writing a rhyming poem is to find one word I know I want in my poem, and then write a list of all the words that rhyme with it. I go through and cross them off as I write so I don’t accidentally reuse them. There was no set meter for this piece, but I wanted it to feel like it was speeding up as it went so if words or phrases were too clunky or awkward; they were cut, rephrased, or condensed.

Pick, pick, pick.

Like a ticking clock,

I pick without a thought.

Flooding–not flooding–

picking at my brain,

making me insane.

Pick, pick, pick.

Until my fingers are slick with blood.

Quick! Lick it away,

this thick, disgusting display.

An all-you-can-eat buffet.

As I eat at it.

As it eats at me.

Pick, pick, pick.

a nervous tic,

compulsive, repetitive,

out of control repetitive.

Imperative. Addictive.

It goes all day,

I have no say.

Pick, pick, pick.

Just a stick of a needle,

a little prick,

then hit with a brick,

Gaping. Aching.

There’s no escaping or breaking

from the daily forsaking.

Pick, pick, pick.

Like the flame of a Bic,

I am drawn until I’ve gone beyond.

Until I’m sick and withdrawn.

Until my fingers are gone.

And only Anxiety remains.

Kaitlyn Young is a current BA/MA dual degree student at DePaul University, studying Creative Writing and Publishing. Her focus is on poetry and short fiction, emphasizing addiction and mental illness within her writings. While Kaitlyn has no previously published work, her orange cat Pineapple (aka her muse) is an avid listener and her biggest fan.