mental illness

Patty Ihm

A Hundred Sunrises

Only through the photograph of a friend did I see the shades of fireball orange, candy pink, and smoky lavender that painted the sky....

Patty Ihm

I Wish I Had Taken a Picture

The hill at the back of my dad's childhood home separates a modest expanse of grass--a tiny backyard haven where we picked apples from my...

Patty Ihm

Twelve Dollars

Steam from the cup And snow on the path The seasons have changed From the present to past I knew even before I saw the white feathers,...

Patty Ihm

Waiting to Blow

He stands proudly with stiffened shoulders, cheeks puffed as to nearly usurp his smug stone smile. The sparkle in the eyes of this...

Patty Ihm

Lost in the Dark Gray

He's joyful as he glides like a stunt plane along the cement hills and ramps at the skate park. He's riding a scooter, the...

Patty Ihm

Digging Up the Mint

It must have been an imposter: leggy, medium green, and without fanfare, it grew in great bunches where there had been mint last year. I...

Patty Ihm

Breaking Free

He plotted his escape, because he knew he had to go. Forty years after first reading the beloved story, I am still learning the lessons...

Patty Ihm

The Color Inside of Me

To be so tied to someone that their hurt, disappointment, and fear mix with what's inside of you and become indiscernible: that must be...

Patty Ihm

When the Dusky Sky was Most Beautiful

I found them at the hour when the dusky sky was most beautiful. There was a small spot of darkness on the mounded snow, just where the...

Patty Ihm

The Best of Me

A shadow flashed across the road ahead of me. As the light changed and I moved through the intersection, there it was: frozen, small...

Patty Ihm

Behind the Veil of a Beekeeper

I got a new bee suit. It's white, with three layers of mesh and a double zipper system to keep me completely covered and to prevent...

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