Monday, May 19, 2014

A prolonged, non-drug induced and horrific psychosis

To the ones who don't believe that mental illness is real, I say this: have you ever had to suffer a pervasive, prolonged and non-drug induced "bad trip?" In fact, I never do drugs, yet this evening, I felt as if I were having a bad acid trip, mixed with a heroin overdose. None of these things would be possible were it not for schizophrenia, the dreaded disease of the brain that affects nearly 1 per cent of the population worldwide on any given day. To make matters worse, I was solely responsible for the well being of two sons, one 7 years old and one 3 years of age. There is nothing more humbling than that of having to care for a child while under the mental illness knife, that cuts deeper than a scalpel in an operating room. To the voices, I say, leave this old hat alone- he has weathered enough storms. To the paranoia, I plead, let the peace of mind wash away your caustic inky blackness. And to the delusions and over-stimulation, well, let's not add insult to injury. Wellness begins at home. It takes time. This too shall pass.

Sunday, May 4, 2014

A Reblog from Americamanifesto

americanifesto in Kuta Lombok I went to town to look around and took in many things: I saw one cow – don’t ask me how – and one bird with brown wings. It sang a song both loud and strong to flee its cage it sought, wreathed in a cloud of burning trash – sad things mankind has wrought. The ride this morn was swift and fleet we slept perhaps three winks, in captain’s berth we sampled mirth, the ferry did not sink. Now through this cabin we explored while sleep into our brain-pans bored, we looked in cubby; cranny; nook; as wave and sea the vessel shook. There was the book by Chairman Mao – his lesson, guide, and rule – three fancy shirts, a dead cockroach, some bits of foam, a toilet brush, the AC vented cool. Then through the hills and sopping fields our caravan did wander, in search of places rich in surf from here to there and yonder. We quarter in a spartan room, the basics they are present, my company is quick to laugh – indeed she is quite pleasant. The waters glint with pla stic junk, so much it can’t be counted; now off to rest, to try this bed, with consciousness dismounted.