So, Stranger
by DANA CRAWFORD
How do you tell a stranger
They feel like your
First bit of good news
In ages
Explain: it’s largely
The new medication
For an existing condition
Which is likely
A byproduct of
A yet to be diagnosed
Illness
Or loneliness
Chronic but manageable
I’m sure
So, Stranger, this is all to say
I am no longer drowning
In “catastrophic thinking”
And “rejection sensitivity”
Common symptoms, I’ve been told
I can see the good spots
I can hold the big picture
And you are it
God save you
Person I met moments ago
Dana Crawford is a commercial interior designer by day, and a mysterious presence by night. In 2017, she self-published The Quick and the Rest, a book of poetry with her husband and friends. Dana has lived in Logan Square and Humboldt Park for more than twenty years. Her graduate thesis was on the heartbreakingly-demolished Logan Square Boys and Girls Club on Palmer Avenue, where she volunteered for many years. She currently resides in West Humboldt Park with her aforementioned husband and, more importantly, two cats.