The Madness Is There, And Will Always

I'm A Driven Perfectionist, Very Self-critical.

I Think Many People With A Chronic Illness Would Prefer Not To Have Their Chronic Illness, Simply Because It's High Maintenance.

I Am Feeling Fine. I Remember These Words And Recite Them. These Are The Things You Say When Asked How You Are. After All, It Would Be Odd To Say: I'm Not Feeling. Or, More To The Point: I'm Not, I Have Ceased To Be. Where Am I?

You Never Come Back, Not All The Way. Always There Is An Odd Distance Between You And The People You Love And The People You Meet, A Barrier Thin As The Glass Of A Mirror, You Never Come All The Way Out Of The Mirror; You Stand, For The Rest Of Your Life, With One Foot In This World And No One In Another, Where Everything Is Upside Down And Backward And Sad.

He Leaned Down And Whispered To Me: No Matter How Thin You Get, No Matter How Short You Cut Your Hair, It's Still Going To Be You Underneath. And He Let Go Of My Arm And Walked Back Down The Hall.