A Family Matter

i

know

you’re

old

and

grey

and

getting

on

a

bit

in

years

you’ve

certainly

seen

better

days

that’s

for

sure

when

your

liver

was

once

below

the

toxic

threshold

and

i’m

sorry

for

writing

to

you

in

this

way

but

it’s

getting

really

annoying

Nan

when

on

the

few

occasions

that

i

do

ring

you

you

always

mention

made-up

stories

of

people

you

claim

to

know

going

boondocks

crazy

when

they’ve

come

off

their

psych

meds

and

as

we

know

they’re

not

real

accounts

of

real

people

then

where

the

hell

do

you

get

this

conditioned

crap

from

i

know

you

never

read

psychology

books

and

you’re

certainly

not

alone

in

that

most

control

in

the

community

workers

haven’t

read

them

either

but

could

your

source

of

information

or

disinformation

perhaps

possibly

be

the

same

source

that

tells

the

nation

that

issues

of

the

psych

are

genetically

inherited

‘cause

every

f****r

in

the

country

believes

this

modern

version

of

original

sin

trash

like

it’s

a

faith

based

religion

when

i

know

it’s

never

been

proven

by

science

and

seems

never

likely

to

be

either

and

i

get

very

concerned

when

people

just

accept

these

things

without

backup

experiments

to

support

this

blatantly 

revised

linguistic

version

of

the

christian

faith

and

pharmacratic

state

that

feeds

off

our

addictions

with

such

propaganda

and

lies

and

i’m

sure

you

can

remember

back

in

your

day

when

gullible

morons

believed

in

the

nonsense

of

virgin

births

long

before

IVF

treatments

and

resurrections

long

before

cryogenics

which

would

seem

to

imply

folk

will

believe

almost

anything

they’re

told

well

Nan

i

just

wanted

to

tell

you

that

i

haven’t

used

meds

now

for

over

twenty

six

months

and

counting

and

i’m

as

sane

and

as

healthy

as

this

brain

is

ever

likely

to

get

so

please

give

it

a

rest

now

and

quit

the

rote

repetitive

nine

year

long

robo

brain

agent

Smith

in

your

body

and

head

act

it’s

getting

rather

boring

thanks

i

love

you

lots

and

lots

your

loving

grandson

j

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reviews

[...]

. oh, this is the most poetic plea ever ... from a doting grandson to a grandmom ... i was on psychiatric medication for a bit in 2006 and it was a horrible experience ... just plain horrible ... i felt like i had been turned into a human cobweb ... and was so inactive that i wouldn't be able to think for more than fifteen minutes without falling asleep ... and the nausea was just unbearable ... and the meds did nothing to make me less suicidal ... how could they when the reason for living is to find the purpose of living and that purpose begins with loving living ... and i love how you wrote this poem ... i loved the structure ... i loved all the issues you raised ... and ... last but not the least ... meds never give one peace ... i'm sure they are needed for specific ailments of the mind too ... but not for most of them ... for most of them, there's poetry ... and it has no side effects ...

[Jaci]

There's so much in this I could share my opinion on, but you already know it hun. I've met your Nan and I can tell she loves you, but that her love is mixed up with so much garbage that's been fed her which effects her attitude towards you. It was confusing for me and difficult not to chime in rather bluntly at times, but I managed to hold my tongue and temper in check. I wish she could read this, I really do.