samedi 8 janvier 2011

sick kid, tragic murders

today, a boy, jared loughner, 22, came to a political rally in arizona and shot rep. gabrielle giffords through the head and killed seven other people, including a 9-yr-old girl, a judge and a federal marshall. i heard a lot of inflamed rhetoric afterward about chopping off his head and putting him in prison to be repeatedly raped. sadness for the dead is a natural response. murderous rage for a schizophrenic kid is something else. i had to write a short poem.


what do i know
about anything at all?
a boy pulls a gun
and kills seven people
wounds ten more
and all i can think is
"mental illness"

so i go out to explore
what the media is not
telling us
i go to the boy's
youtube account
and watch six videos
puzzles he has posted

his waking dreams
his lack of sleep
the new currency
grammar and mind control
and a vain attempt
at syllogism
his logic twisting in the wind

they're calling for
his crazy head
i've seen rape mentioned
and street justice
he's taking the 5th
from what i saw on line
it's "logical"

he's been watching them
watching him
they gave him a small bible
when he tried to enlist in
the army but he retorted
"i will not believe in god
or government!"

"are you literate?
what does your new
currency look like?
will year ADE go on
and on forever?
do you dream, listener,
do you dream?"


click to enlarge...


3 commentaires:

bluerose a dit…

Scary and so sad. I have a brother who's mentally ill, and we've had some pretty scary episodes when he has decided to go off his meds. It becomes very difficult to get help for him, because even in these "enlightend" times, our understanding of mental illness is so limited, and authorities hands are tied.

Laura Tattoo a dit…

so true, bluerose! we know almost nothing about how meds work, how the brain works. wrong meds are often prescribed. i once asked a neuroscientist if he thought we'd ever understand the brain and he told me, "no." it's so hard for families especially.

jaret's parents sound mentally ill themselves, though i'm not rushing to judge them either. having mental illness myself, ptsd and what i term "mild" bipolar disorder--i've never been full-blown manic though close, i do know what psychosis is. bet anything they find he has schizophrenia, but that will not engender any pity. i was simply nauseous reading the commentary after the tragedy. xooxoxox

bluerose a dit…

I have a mild form of bipolar disorder, too. After watching my brother and the people in the news, I think you and I are the lucky ones. But, I think it makes it easier for us to relate on a certain level, and that's why these stories bother us so.