Red Hair — a series inextricably woven together
1. Red Hair Soup
2. A Sargassum And Red Hair Raft
3. And One Lived Insane
-
- Red Hair Illustration #2 ⓒBearspawprint2014
Naked
Humming
Madness
Singing
Soothed
By silent
Familiar
Friends
Guardians
Vultures
Perched
Two or one
Or three
On
Open doors
.
Protection
From
Witches
Allowing
Escape
One room
To another
.
Infants cry
In the
Bath
Children
Find them
Dissolved
Washed
Away
Calling
From
The drains
.
Forgotten
Tabouli
Shimmers
Surreal
Movement
Of larvae
Or rice
Squirming
Uneaten
.
Roaches
Scurry to
Cracks
Gossiping
In the
Walls
Your own fault
Your own fault
Eating
Glue
Eating
Books
Cellulose
Each other
.
Clacking
Bones
Pacing
Jutting hips
Bruised
Ribs
Elbows
Vertebrae
Knees
Hinged
Jaws
Rattle
Awkward
Self starved
.
Head
Swivels
Unsteady
Too heavy
.
Fleas stir
Awakened
By pacing
Forward
And back
Forward
And back
Frantic
Millions
Fleas
Biting
Crawling
Hopping
.
Fingernails
Neglected
Scratching
Scratching
No relief
.
No rest
So tired
Forward
And back
.
Gratitude
For the
Buzzards
Keeping
Safe from
Witches
Or
Family
Thank you
Thank you
Thank you
Nod
Thank you
Prayerful
Hands
Namaste
Shalome
Whatever
.
Someone
With too
Many legs
Cackling
Useless
Noise
Put on clothes
Clean house
Clean house
Clean house
Orders
Commanding
Buzzing
Yazz-uh
Yazz-uh
.
Too much
Noise
The static
The whining
Mosquitoes
Clouds of
Mosquitoes
Or wasps
Follow
Collecting
The commands
Sucking
Bloody
Words
Your own fault
Your own fault
Your own fault
.
Faster
Forward
And back
.
Vultures
Knowing
Watch
Guarding
Keeping
Witches
Away
.
Thank you
Thank you
Waiting
For dinner
Namaste
Shalome
Whatever
.
.
Bear … 08.25.2014
ⓒ Bearspawprint 2014
.
.
bearspawprint 
I always love your art it says so much. I fear your words in this poem though, they will haunt me for longer than today. xxx
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This particular Red-Head turns 60 this year, and has led a full interesting life, thus far. She is the Red-Head Who Lived Insane. She has experienced all of the described delusions and more, much more. she is ostracized by her family who believe that she willfully choses to be ill. Hospitalizations and “treatments” in the 70s and 80s reduced her IQ (which is still way above average) and took large chunks of her memory. Some YEARS are gone. Completely gone. None the less, she is still a vibrant beautiful woman. When she was in her teens (I met her when she was 17) and her 20s she was absolutely stunning. She is not me. XXXX
P.S. She taught me how to make tabouli in 1972. 🙂
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well what an amazing woman! xx
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She is indeed. The word you used, “haunting” describes her quite well. And those vultures on the doors? They do a VERY good job of frightening her family away.
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Well sounds like she is better off without a family that thinks you are bring down illness on yourself. xxx
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Sadly, perhaps so.
Sadly, also, the years that are now missing, were some of the more fun, exciting, promising years. But also painful. Loved and lost is … difficult .
Empathy hurts, too. XXXX
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Yes empathy hurts more.
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XXXX
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