Madness... Poem by Betty Jo Hilger

There is a stranger in my house, a presence sinister,
disguised, deceptive, he misleads...
He looks familiar to me, I've seen him here before
maybe it was in a dreadful dream

He dons the eyes of one I love, his face is treasured
his body's of my flesh, and yet...
Expressions pass into our realm which cannot be reality,
I find that I am frightened unto death

A mood has come to prey upon our souls
sowing seeds of apprehension, dread, and fear
Tendrils sneak past my defenses, rooting deep,
silent, cultivating cold dissent

Nurturing mistrust, inviting rage...
the howling wails of night, have heaven split

Amidst the melancholy atmosphere, I cannot breathe
and clothe myself against the frosty spume
which permeates relations, once so crystal clear,
as fury laden clouds hang heavy overhead

Peace, annihilated, with words of heated ache
pierce my injured spirit, and I bleed
shocked and traumatized, I don't know where to hide
as sanctuary vanished, along with those I need

I search for logic and for order in the jumble,
reason has gone missing from my world
and I fear I've lost the path I once held safe, aloft...
precious and beloved, prized within my heart

I swim against the current, drowning in the seas
ravaged by the stormy thoughts which churn beneath my wits
floundering and lost, defeated and alone
I cannot seem to find the psyche at my source

There is a stranger in my house,
we are invaded and destroyed
I cannot see the face behind his mask...

I think it's me...