©Like a Tangled Heap of Human
Laundry
Mimi Wolske
We'd
had another fight, something that happened more than less lately
A
screaming match in the car, her screaming and crying, me listening
Embarrassing,
dreadful moments passing locked apartment doors with the banshee
Knowing
the ghosts of people behind them were tired of her mouth running
In
the beginning, I tried placating, appeasing, pacifying, making concessions
Wanting
nothing more than to assure her that yes, I still loved her
Anything,
everything to reconcile our differences, to solace her passions
And
in the end, I'd done nothing but temporarily deter any anger
I
used to think, so what if she's reckless and unpredictable
That
was my attraction to her from the very start; so misguided
Restless,
impulsive, but such a wide difference in feelings chasmal
That
whatever I said or felt she quickly chided
She'd
then leave in a huff, maybe for a night, sometimes days,
Sometimes
weeks, and I'd call her friends, text her:
"Baby,
come home...I love you...we can work this out," any catchphrase
What
ever promise it took, I'd even become a beggar
Promising
to get rid of the termites destroying our relationship
Wondering
just how the hell I was going to manage that
She'd
return, happy, expansive, optimistic, and wanting sex, the flip
Of
how she'd departed, she became my own personal hellcat
Suddenly,
she was overdosing on pills, slicing body parts with a sharp blade
Hiding
in closets, or sleeping in cars, or driving into stationary objects
Reckless
and unpredictable, profoundly sad, feeling worthless and afraid
Her
thoughts became rejects of defects that infects and dissects
Tonight,
when we returned to our three-room living quarters,
I
dropped her off still screaming and loudly ranting
Went
to the diner alone to search for some answers
When
some friends found me, they took an oblique course--canting
Like
a contender in a competition, I made an incessant dash home
Oh
my god! there she lay like a tangled heap of human laundry
At
the bottom of the steps overtaken by her syndrome
And
my only actions, thoughts, words once like hers, became bawdry
Mania
is a hallmark symptom of manic depression. To be more precise, mania is a
cluster of symptoms that are associated with one aspect of manic depression. An
episode of mania can quickly spiral out of control, causing a great deal of
disruption and mayhem for the individual and his or her loved ones. As such, it
is important to be familiar with the warning signs of mania.
That is Tom Wait in the photo but he himself has nothing to do with the poem
