That Old Familiar Madness

by Katherine Tapley-Milton

I can feel that old familiar madness

That creeps up most stealthily upon me

And fills my soul with interminable sadness

It’s like crawling over acres of broken glass

And is too terrible for you to see --

What this monster does to this lass

I’m torn and bleeding and scarred within

And the hours are long as time does pass.

I’d like to make an exit, but that would be a sin.

Yet, I remain confused why I have to live in agony

I pray to have this burden off of my back

Because I’m starting to get panicky

As I am being tortured on a medieval rack

With the Grand Executioner turning the screws

God, please deliver me from the Inquisition

I certainly need to hear some good news

It is my sanity that is in question

Please help me Lord, my soul is one big bruise.

Famous Only in the Mind: An Examination of Psychosis

I am a indeed a very famous and adored creature. There are so many times have played Spanish guitar or done pop concerts in packed out auditoriums in all the top cities. The number of books I've written is phenomenal and of course each one has been accompanied by a tour of all the T.V. talk shows. Experts seek my advice constantly on subjects ranging from religion to politics. Each movie that I have starred in has been a huge success at the box office and of course my love life couldn't be better. I have written many screen plays which have received Academy awards and I'm never seen in public with a hair out of place or a broken nail. My make up is flawless and my complexion gorgeous. Women everywhere envy my perfect figure and I never ~ sweat. But, alas I am all this only in my own mind. Fantasy or "wool gathering" as some people like to refer to it can be wonderful. When the vice of cruel reality crushes the hope out of me I have always tended to escape to a world of my own creation. It's a dream like world where lovers never hurt you and pie is never fattening. The beaches are always sunny and the water is always 72 degrees. A little crisis is always met with a knight in shining armor who pledges his allegiance and fidelity forever. Gravity never hurts anyone and the whole world gets saved and goes to heaven. The down side of fantasy is that you can come to 1ike it so much that reality becomes bland, banal, and noxious by comparison. I find fantasy can be so addictive that I would like to cancel my environment in favor of prime time fantasy. For someone with a vivid imagination it's better than television. However, unless one wants to give oneself completely over to fantasy and live in a mental institution the world with its frustrations and agonies must be met with courage, with fortitude, with compassion. A little fantasy can be the spice of life, however it is a dangerous obsession. Some take the trip of fantasy and never come back.