By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.
Spoken by One of the witches in MacBeth, written by William Shakespeare
I’m reeling from the sudden flash that something was wrong and looking to see who wrote/said the damned quote because that’s what that feeling means, and it’s almost always correct.
Spinning.
My phone rings.
It’s my brother.
I actually asked “Is anyone hurt?” after saying hello.
Not surprisingly, he had an answer.
A friend just took a fall and may have broken her ankle. Oh, and did you know dad hurt his neck?
Umm. Nope.
And yet.
I subconsciously must have.
It’s hard to describe, but I feel lighter.
Like I’d been carrying a heavy stone on my back and just now it fell away.
I’m friends with the monster that’s under my bed Get along with the voices inside of my head You’re tryin’ to save me, stop holdin’ your breath And you think I’m crazy, yeah, you think I’m crazy
Monster, Eminem
I’m definitely not friends with Harold.
We’re far from frenemies.
Adversaries at best.
He’s Khan to my Kirk.
(Nerd alert.)
There’ve been some very long nights.
Questions at 4am that I had no answers for.
Which I realize.
I still don’t.
But they seem less severe.
Maybe it’s maturity.
Maybe it’s Wellbutrin.
Gods knows, I wasn’t diagnosed back then.
I should’ve been.
I should’ve been diagnosed in high school.
You know.
When I refused to get out of bed in the morning.
Instead I saw a psychologist who specialized in relationships.
How the fuck was that supposed to help me?
I was in an obsidian place in high school.
Which carried through to my 30s.
I bring this up.
Because.
Things are getting better.
It’s less stigmatized.
And yet.
That’s what I’m doing.
With the lithium.
I’m worried it’ll work too well.
That maybe I am a little crazy.
This isn’t making much sense.
Time to hit pause.
I got the pills today.
That’s why I’m freaking out.
One step closer.
(Guess I’m not hitting pause.)
They’re covered by Trillium and come August, my deductible resets and I’d have to pay out-of-pocket. This way, I’ve got it for at least a month.
(Yes, I still haven’t decided. Unlike my bipolar-led hyper-focused need to do things immediately, but because of the lead up time from weaning off of Abilify, this decision’s not gonna be made until the end of the month, I think.)
Defecting Russian dancers dance into Hockney prints Exclusive to Bloomingdales, gift-wrapped in red from the land of blue rinse They boggle at menus in Olde English verse “Ode to burger” by Keats at his worst The hissing of omelettes, the breaking of legs Don’t shoot ’till you see the whites of their eggs The pink fillet mignon looks black on the negs Strange apparatus, you’ve never seen Strange apparatus, even stranger theme Street alligators, big Anglophile will navigate us through a change of style I came, I saw, what manner of beast is this? New York, you talk a little bit left of centre A scream, a shout New York is throwing it’s weight around Walk tall, walk straight, spit the world right in the eye The stronger the wood, the straighter the arrow Dismembered hopeful My-Lai veterans queuing for sleaze “Sorry no dogs, no fags, no shriners and no amputees” Sexual athlete applies for audition Willing to make it in any position Just one of the extras with blood on their faces In snow-white and the seven basket cases I’m happy and dopey and dirty in places