Bipolar Poetry

Polar bears and polar climes,
sunglasses that are polarized
like politics and magnets (not
that these are much alike).
Bipolars, I am sad to note,
are seldom half the trouble, as with
bifurcations, fully twice the turmoil
when they're off their medication.
Manic ups, depressive downs, it's
chemical. Not personal. Mel Gibson
has it, as did Hitler, Kurt Cobain,
and Florence Nightengale, also
Carrie Fisher and Ms. Marilyn Monroe.
Britney Spears (which may explain a lot)
and Frank Sinatra (which may not).
Not something you can toy with, though.
The opposites pull strongly inside,
very simply put, perhaps it's like a
constant argument inside to see which
part of you will win, which one can
come outside and play. We say that
opposites attract but not when they're
a package deal, both personalities
within a single soul. With two,
however, sometimes, every rarely,
two who are alike can find each other,
so well-suited that they comment
on the fact quite frequently. (Where
did that come from? you may ask.
We're focusing on polar. Try to stay on task.)


(c) Ellen Gillette, 2014

I am NOT implying that bipolar disorder isn't very serious, because it is. I learned a little more about it today  - we used to call it manic depression. Handled properly and professionally, bipolar disorder doesn't ruin a person's life, or the lives of those around him or her. Some people hesitate to get help because of the stigma, which is ridiculous! A chemical imbalance needs to be treated chemically, just as someone who is near-sighted  needs contacts or glasses.