Mania on the one hand, depression on the other,

Mental & Emotional Illness Awareness

When fear disappeared I got manic.

When I got manic, fear disappeared.

Riding my bike back from NC State,

a late October afternoon a monumental

truck hauled up behind & passed me,

sucking off fear of the ages and by the

time I got home I was walking on water,

so to speak. As it were

Mental & Emotional Illness Awareness

Christmas Break, sitting in a Duke carrel

working-up the spring syllabus after teaching

my first college courses: suddenly—no prelude—

down and down we go, round and round we go:

that old black magic called Dread . Black dogs

barking all the time.

.  

 Emotional & Mental Illness Month, Be

Ware. It wasn't long after starting to read

aloud Emerson’s Self Reliance to my NC

State required lit class that I began to snuffle

and sniffle, tears rolling down my shiny cheeks

and could see the embarrassment in my student

body. Hell withem if they can’t take a joker.

Mental&Emotional Illness Awareness

After 6 years boss of the faculty and loving

the power of administrator, I was sitting

on the Biltmore Forest golf course, 4^th

of July, festive drinking and dancing going

on when bolt from the blue & wings of the

dove down the rabbit hole deja view round

and round—that old black dog called dread.