ventose

i am a ventose ventriloquist at times --
i blow wind through others' tracheas
and move their mouths like muppets.
my imagination served me well in childhood
but these days it's just as likely to betray me.
obviously there are other gears in motion
though i'm not sure if mental illness
or hormonal disturbance is to blame.
i suppose the pills for one cause the other
so who's to say which side of the bridge i began on.
there are so many planks missing between
a photographer from a higher altitude
might develop an advertisment for a dentist
(the "before" picture, of course) .
who's to say how i got here
but i'm here and i've got to
find another path to sanity
because neither side of this bridge lands there.