Mania Is

Mania is...
	
	
	It’s a very sneaky thing, 
	mania is...
	
	I’m humming along, 
	no doubt minding 
	someone else’s business, 
	giving little attention 
	to my own state of being.
	when in it slips, 
	mania does, 
	a message under my door: 
	“I’m here; are you ready?” 
		I never am. 
		I always am.
	
	Many of us who live 
	in a carefully balanced state 
	mourn the loss of our mania
	as if it were a death. 
	
	Oh my God though, 
	what we can do when we’re there — 
		write with Kerouac ferocity;
		touch Pollock’s intensity; 
		persuade the opposite or same sex 
			that an afternoon of play 
			is the best thing 
			that will happen to them this year; 
		find a Maserati’s limits
			(Why are my passengers always terrified?). 
	
	Others of us fly 
		too far,
		too fast, 
	from the tightrope of sanity, 
	melting Icarus-like  
	in the heat of soaring — 
		head in the oven; 
		deft cuts with a Gillette product; 
		an abundance of downers; 
		one blast of a twelve-gauge. 
	
	Don’t misunderstand me... 
	I would fly without hesitation
	at a moment’s notice,
	but I have a fear of melting.

Copyright © | Year Posted 2013



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Date: 9/19/2013 4:13:00 AM
Big congrats on your third place win Jack that's a well deserved win!!!
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Jack Jordan
Date: 9/19/2013 7:30:00 AM
Thanks for the congrats... jack
Date: 9/18/2013 2:21:00 PM
awesome win Jack ............ luv ~SKAT~
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Jack Jordan
Date: 9/18/2013 5:47:00 PM
Thanks, SKAT... jack
Date: 9/17/2013 7:38:00 PM
An excellent description of high flying mania....thank you for sharing.
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Jack Jordan
Date: 9/17/2013 8:05:00 PM
Again, Wayne, thanks for the comment... Jack
Date: 9/14/2013 4:58:00 PM
Wow Jack...This is a true mind blower, a stunning piece of work...The best I have seen from you in my humble opinion...MANY congrats - Tim
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Jack Jordan
Date: 9/14/2013 5:53:00 PM
Thanks for the kind words, Tim... Jack
Date: 9/14/2013 1:59:00 PM
Jack so much true in this excellent poem congrats on win Shadow x smile
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Jack Jordan
Date: 9/14/2013 3:07:00 PM
Thank you, especially for the smile... Jack
Date: 9/13/2013 10:51:00 AM
Congratulations on your winning place Jack xx
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Jack Jordan
Date: 9/13/2013 11:29:00 AM
Thank you, Mandy... Jack
Date: 9/13/2013 9:12:00 AM
Good morning Jack, , stopping by with hugs & smiles:-) xox (-: CONGRATULATIONS :) on your win. Enjoy my blog "You know where my heart is" when you have time. http://www.poetrysoup.com/poetry_blogs/blog_detail.aspx?BlogID=15906&PoetID=18720 ---Always & Forever xox-Linda-xox
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Jack Jordan
Date: 9/13/2013 9:20:00 AM
Thanks, Linda. I'll check out your blog. I always enjoy them... Jack
Date: 9/13/2013 8:37:00 AM
Congrats on your poem winning in the contest,
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Jack Jordan
Date: 9/13/2013 8:47:00 AM
Thanks!
Date: 9/11/2013 6:09:00 PM
I read the companion piece to this as well, the depression one, as they really need to be read in conjunction, and they are stunning pieces of writing...I can identify personally, as I'm sure many creative people can; the link between creativity and mental illness, especially bipolar, is a fascinating one...just read what you said to andrea below - yes, depression is definitely 'cold'
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Jack Jordan
Date: 9/11/2013 6:18:00 PM
Oddly enough, I didn't write them with the intention of creating a pair of poems. It just seemed right that mania should follow depression, and it did several days later. You're right about the connection between creativity and bipolar. It's well-documented over a long period of study. Thanks for the great comments... Jack
Date: 9/2/2013 8:53:00 AM
oooh what an intense poem. That last line is priceless!!!
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Jack Jordan
Date: 9/2/2013 10:17:00 AM
I've never melted completely, but I do soften from time to time. The way I see it, mania is hot, depression is cold... Jack
Date: 8/31/2013 4:21:00 PM
Hey Jack....just stopping round to say hi and check on ya......smiles your way...:-) have a safe weekend...:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)
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Jack Jordan
Date: 8/31/2013 5:48:00 PM
Hi back to you. Thanks for stopping by. BTW, I like your new photo. You have a good weekend too, okay?? Jack
Date: 8/31/2013 8:14:00 AM
This took my breath away and I am still feeling the goosebumps.. The skill in this poetic view of a frenzied condition is stunning beyond words. I have a sister who experiences this and I now have a deeper understanding. Thank you so much for this real and beautifully stark painting of such a fearful reality.
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Jack Jordan
Date: 8/31/2013 9:27:00 AM
Karen, I' so glad that my writing has shed light on your sister's plight. I know of the confusion, care and concern family members experience. I sincerely hope she is being cared for by a doctor familiar with bipolar. Even good and proper care often takes time to be effective. My best hopes and wishes for both of you... Jack
Date: 8/31/2013 6:12:00 AM
Morning Jack....well....I've been a passenger in a lesser corvette at 150 something...yes scared...we get to these places you describe yes but must stop to be thankful for our next breath that we might be able to help someone worse off than ourselves...each day is grand...just go outside! Hugs.......:-)
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Jack Jordan
Date: 8/31/2013 9:23:00 AM
I agree whole-heartedly. A bipolar person who is stable can and often does appreciate every breath. My greatest experience with speed was as a passenger in a Fiat Spyder at about 90mph. The car skidded on a curve and hit a tree. My injuries were limited to a deeply cut forehead, but Death was waiting behind that tree... Jack
Date: 8/30/2013 7:41:00 PM
Very deep yet very expre3ssive thinking
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Jack Jordan
Date: 8/30/2013 8:44:00 PM
Thank you. I appreciate your comment... Jack
Date: 8/30/2013 1:36:00 PM
- You are deep in your thoughts, Jack! - Very well written !!! - Wish you a nice weekend! - (Posted a new today "I Have a Dream") - oxox / / Anne-Lise :)
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Jack Jordan
Date: 8/30/2013 1:56:00 PM
I sent you a soup mail.
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Jack Jordan
Date: 8/30/2013 1:52:00 PM
I appreciate your concern, but I'm okay. I am bipolar though, and I have experienced the highs and lows of that disorder. I've been stable for quite a while. However, I have many bipolar friends and acquaintances who are anything but stable, so depression and mania are frequent components of my daily life... Jack
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