Audio Poem: Mother’s Muted Voices, by Mark Tulin/Scuzzbucket

Mother’s Muted Voices first appeared in Franco Amati’s fine site, Scuzzbucket.

I didn’t always admire my mother,
embarrassed by her ratty clothes
and her sawed-off broomsticks
I wondered why she spoke in riddles
and fed me meals in code
I wondered what her words meant,
the paranoia in her head,
the scandals she spread
I wondered what species she belonged to, 
the planet she came from, 
why her mind was a kaleidoscope
of changing emotions,
muted voices, 
drowsy slurry speech,
and ancient symbols
that Einstein couldn’t decipher
But I wouldn’t put anything past her
She lived a long and solitary life,
had visions like a prophet,
a clairvoyant who could sniff out danger 
She was the sanest schizophrenic
I ever met, and I knew quite a few
She was the only person 
who could make me laugh and cry 
at the same time.