Seeing my poetry video, “Inconsistencies” available again to the public eye in September and October 2025 was thrilling. My work was included in an exhibition at the Dupont Underground in DC called ALT DC: Video + Stills. Originally, this poetry video was an official selection in the 2021 Monologues and Poetry International Film Festival and aired online (still COVID era) in November of that year. This time around, it was pretty exhilarating to hang out in the exhibition space and watch folks engage with my work – a first for me! I’ve not yet found a permanent home for the piece, but may one day. In the meantime, the poem in its original written form can be found on my website, along with an image of the video poster, also viewable on its own. If you’re interested in seeing the video format, please reach out and I’ll try to find a way to share it with you.
Here are some folks viewing the video at the Dupont Underground…
Now, a bit more about the video/poem…
This poetry video paints a picture of the confusion/fear/anger/recklessness produced by Multiple Personality Disorder. Mental illness and mental health challenges are present everywhere. Sometimes they’re evident on the surface, and we see our fellow human beings engaged in their battle out on the streets, in our personal networks, or within our closest circles of friends and families. Other times those challenges hide beneath the surface of a person, behind their walls. Perhaps they remain there, or they may boil over and out, and there may be a breaking point.
Regardless, mental illness and mental health are topics that need to be brought to the surface and better understood to help reduce the negative stigma and ensure those faced with these challenges in our communities are seen and supported. Sometimes a deep level of support is needed; sometimes someone just needs to be seen and reminded that they aren’t alone, that they don’t necessarily need to run; sometimes it may be a bit of both. My challenge to all: don’t look away when you see it, in whatever context – just that could make all the difference.
The video was filmed in Washington, DC, including along the Potomac River and at/near the Kennedy Center. The repetition of the lines “You belong to Heaven. / You belong to Hell.” propel the piece forward in a dive toward an increasingly agitated state of darkness. The visuals, a mixture of water and trees with the grandness of a place like the Kennedy Center, are intended not only to complement the narrative of the poem, but also to add to the emphasis on opposing forces, the contradictions, the sense of feeling out of place or not quite right, not quite safe – like there is a reason to run. All elements of the piece – music/sounds, footage/images, and words – were produced by the author.
marks in the sand 