Schizophrenic Night

[virtuoso]

I sit alone under the starry night
dark patches encase the light
vapid holes without conduits
fringed by a parade of sparking dots
invite my tortured mind to explore
to synthesize the dark and light
an iridescence twinkles on smitten eyes
frenetic charges pulse through each cavity
heavenly bodies morph into beings,
imaginary lines without axis or symmetry
form gnarly figures, contorted images,
the cool shadows can't envelop the heat
sweat warms my brow as
a chill bristles my spine
my feet are grounded, but my mind wired
two worlds with opposite poles collide
a black light now flickers
invisible pulses shock my brain
I straddle the terrestrial divide
figments become animated
the siren song of crickets
rises to a crescendo
light and darkness climax

[Afriendinneed]

This made for tough, tough reading. It wasn't pleasurable for me. The broken imagery captured well what I imagine the mind of a mentally ill person to be like, but I found myself repulsed by the imagery within the poem. I wanted to grasp what the speaker meant, understand him, but it was too much too handle. I couldn't trust him, like how he might not be able to trust me. I wonder how a psychiatrist might feel sitting with a schizophrenic patient, and how it might be a struggle, like this poem.

This is definitely a negative review. I don't think mental illness should be romanticised in this way. I think it's dangerous for the mentally ill. It clouds our understanding of them. It does nothing for the mentally healthy among us, doesn't even interest them, and actually damages those who genuinely suffer. They need to understand themselves, not have their image toyed around with by artists.

I'm only a beginner at poetry, so, take it with a pinch of salt. No harm intended. You write some interesting things.

[Delta40]

I disagree Afriendinneed. You may not be interested but the poet may have any amount of reason to write this. For example we write about our experiences of love in poetry all the time. Nobody actually cares but we may understand ourself better! So why exclude health from this process? Likely it's due to our own discomfort with the topic and nothing more.

Virtuouso I thought the fragments interesting. The crescendo works quite well and could probably be worked on some more.

[virtuoso]

Some interesting comments, indeed! Afriendinneed, there are two, possible interpretations to this poem. It could be talking about a normal person having a terrifying experience in the deep, dark night as his mind drifts into the unknown. Or, it could be analogous to the to the schizophrenic mind drifting into the dark, terrifying world of sensory perceptions. As I was writing the poem, I toyed with both possible interpretations. There are no demeaning jabs at the schizophrenic person. It is a realistic description of his mentality. If you cannot handle graphic depictions, then you will have to subsist in a world of make believe. I do thank you for sharing your thoughts.

I agree Delta. Similarly, the rants of Edgar Allen Poe are titillating, yet terrifying. I never thought that Poe was mocking the insane or mentally ill.