An Adolescent Diagnoses

[Jimmy O'Connell]

[Cate]

Hi Jimmy,

From the title I thought that I was going to be reading about an adolescent who had been given a diagnoses, but I think (I might be missing something) that it's the adolescents who are giving the diagnoses. The image that comes to mind for me is a group of youth in a circle, perhaps in a treatment program or as part of some transitional youth thing. I'm not sure that I imagine the kids actually saying these things, more little thought bubbles coming from their heads, thinking these things. Some of them are very interesting "Finbar: Fuck off /I need you! Fuck off – I hate you!" "Debbie: Parenting the father;/slaying the father; restoring the father"

hummm
Maybe these are hospital waiting room thoughts. I'm definitely curious.

[Jimmy O'Connell]

Thanks for that Cate....
The thinking behind the title is that when making a diagnosis, or finding out what is going on with a client, very often what they tell you or what you hear translated into your own way of listening and diagnosing becomes a dialogue until you reach a kind of summation or an ongoing development of a summation......
So, in many ways this poem is a result of that dialogue...
Maybe the title should be changed to just 'Diagnosis' or 'Diagnoses'.... not sure yet....