I Might Be Schizophrenic, But I'm Not Crazy by Fuentes, Francine NEUF 2024

Mental Illness: the term that has endless meanings. Families that have someone afflicted by a mental illness like Schizophrenia often experience PTSD and are affected by it differently. We all eventually learn to survive, just as my brother has.

The word "CRAZY" could apply to any one of us, at certain times in our lives. We are complicated beings. We could be a product of our upbringing or we might just be who we were destined to be. We all try to do the best we can, as Id like to think my parents did.

My poetry speaks to my experiences before my brother was born, growing up with him, how I dealt with the fear of abandonment and continue to fight the effects of a dysfunctional family 2024 that tried to survive a lot of adversities. My words carry to the present day. This is how I feel. No one can tell a family how to be or feel. It can be a different experience for everyone.

This is about the heart, pain, and the sprinkles of lighter moments from my eyes. This is about my brother.