Leanne O'Sullivan

 

            The poem “Waiting for My Clothes” by Leanne O’Sullivan, makes me wonder what is the actual reason she is there. The doctors are detaining her from all her belongings but yet they never actually tell her the purpose for the reasons they are doing this. The belongings that are being taken away are showing us or is describing that her books, clothes and music are obviously a part of her. But why is it that she is so possessive and worried that the doctors are removing these things? Is it that she has no one to talk as in friends? To my point of view she sees these things as company and feels empty without them.  And the only way to get these items back she explained was if she behaved in my understanding.

            As the doctors told her this, I came to think what the reason was to why she was not behaving. It seemed as if she had a mental disorder or was not behaving properly. The journal she spoke about was being described as if the doctors had removed her clothing, and from what I understood was like her life was in that journal.

            As her journal was being taken away she said, “taking my soul from between my ribs and leafing through the pages of my thoughts, as if they were reading my palms.” (o’sullivan17) Her privacy was being invaded by strangers. Her life was being read like an open book to others, the poem is being descried as “if they were reading palms.” (o’sullivan17) she had feelings as if these people saw her as something she was not.  Not recognizing who this person was, they were judging her. although she was being easily being judged, she did not reveal her true thoughts only left with questions being asked by others.