Therapy

Hi there, feversinmirrors! Welcome to YWS! It's great to see some new faces around!

So I really liked this poem. You give images, and you have a consistent tone. And honestly, at one point, it gave me shivers.

I think that you should start the poem with the second stanza. That's really where the meat comes in, and in the first stanza, we've got some images that are pretty overused. I understand the feeling, and I think it's important that you illustrate it in the poem, but darkness and drowning have been very done before when talking about mental illness, and I suggest that you find different images to illustrate how the narrator feels. Even if you do find new images, I suggest you implement them at the end of the poem, where you have chosen to use a bit of repetition.

you can't do much but tear at your skin and look at the floor and listen to the clock tick by,

I like what you've got going on here, but I don't know if "tear at your skin" is quite appropriate. I haven't been to that many therapy sessions, but wouldn't she stop the narrator from doing that? Perhaps "pick at your skin" would be more appropriate, though I understand that the desperation is making the language more dramatic-- make sure the dramatics of the poem don't make it unrealistic, though. ^_^

she has this way of dragging things out of you, making you think things you normally wouldn't. she has a knack for kick-starting your misery.

These two sentences are a bit redundant. If I had to choose one, I'd choose the second to keep because of the nice visual repetition of the k.

but it's not about the chair

I didn't get this at first. Perhaps mention the chair earlier in the poem along with some descriptors? As it is, it doesn't seem important enough to warrant mention. Make it important so it deserves this place.

giggling girls with bubblegum grins.

While this creates a strong image in my mind, I think you should pick one adjective or the other. It kind of changes the voice of the narrator, getting so very descriptive all of a sudden. Perhaps say "girls with bubblegum giggles" to shorten it up a bit, but still retain the image.

its about the knot
in your chest
or your head
that you keep thinking

The way this is set up grammatically, it says "it's about the knot that you keep thinking." So the narrator is thinking a knot. To make it clearer, I might put a period after head and remove "that." Also, a knot in the chest has been done before (it's a real feeling, but still, this is poetry, which is about finding new connections), so I might leave out "in your chest." Also, it's "it's," not its.

i'm going to tell her now.

That's the part that gave me shivers. It's just so out there and desperate, but the narrator can't, and it's so emotional and wonderful.

the receptionist is knowing

The phrasing here is a little awkward. Try "knows" instead of "is knowing."

you want to tell her about the real reason
but you've fed her some bullshit about your parents

Two things. 1) This really makes me want to know the real reason. 2) The placing of this made me think that "her" was referring to the receptionist, but upon further inspection, the narrator is probably referring to the therapist herself. I'd clarify that if I were you.

maybe if she knew you were opening your veins
filling your stomach with pills
emptying it with fingers
scratch that

So if you're saying scratch that, does it need to be in the poem? I'd incorporate this in a different way if you're going to have it in there. Also, the images here have kind of been done before, as well. But emptying it with fingers. That's something you should expand on.

it wouldn't feel like a thousand bricks weighing down on your shoulders,
pushing you under
drowning you
slowly

from the inside out.

And here we find again the sentiments in the first stanza. Again, the images here are overused (also, a thousand bricks would push you down rather quickly, don't you think? ^_^), so find other ways to convey what the narrator is feeling here.

Altogether, I really did like this poem. As I've mentioned, there are a few things that need work, but it is really a solid start. I'd say that your strongest stanza was the prose stanza. Nicely done there.

I hope that this review was helpful! If you need anything, feel free to message me! Happy poeting!