Quantifying Illness - Shiksha Dheda

254 days since I left my house.

At all.

255 days since I have petted my dogs.

619 days since I have given or received a hug.

2444 days since I watched a movie

At the cinema.

2460 days since I ate

in an actual restaurant.

2150 days since I have eaten takeout .

Pizza was the last, I think.

34 days since I have had a proper shower.

2 hours since I have washed my hands.

1.5 minutes since my last intrusive thought.

Bio:

Shiksha is a South African of Indian descent. She uses poetry(mostly) to express her internal and external struggles and journeys, inclusive of her OCD and depression roller-coaster ventures. Mostly, however, she writes in the hopes that someday, someone will see her as she is; an incomplete poem.

Shiksha has been featured as the Poet of the Month (January 2012) for Forward Poetry and has also had poetry featured on or forthcoming in the Aerodrome online literary journal, Poetry Potion, Visual Verse, The Kalahari Review, Brave Voices, Glitchwords poetry and Resurrections Magazine.