For the Love of Aaron (1994) - full transcript

[child laughing]

[car horn honks]

Mom, she's here.

Come on, Mom.

Shirley's here.

I'll be right there.

[music playing]

Let's go, Mom.

We're late.

Come on, Mom.

Hurry up.



Do you have everything,
Margaret, your papers?

Yes.

Yes.

He'll be great, Gibson.

Break a leg, Margaret.

Thank you, Duncan.

Don't talk too fast, Mom.

Too fast.

[music playing]

Please welcome
our special guest

author, former winner of
the Toronto Fiction Award,

Margaret Gibson.

[applause]

Father, mother,
child, a Trinity--



--broken.

I'm sorry.

Sorry.

Mommy, I saw the neatest
bike in the store today.

As a matter of fact,
it's on sale for $150,

which is pretty cheap, I think.

Wow.

Well, when I finish my book we
will have lunch with Kenneth

Wagner at the Wessex
Hotel, and you and I will

have a big fat piece of cake.

And I will get paid, and
I will buy you that bike.

Sunny side down.

[SINGING] Down by the bay
where the watermelons grow.

I hope I didn't embarrass
you too much of the reading

tonight.
- Oh, no.

It's OK.

Good night.

I love you, .

Love you too, Mommy.

[music playing]

[typewriter clicking]

MARGARET GIBSON: You have
everything you need, ?

Uh-huh.

Do you have your pills, Mom?

MARGARET GIBSON: I don't
know where they are.

[sighs]

[music playing]

[typewriter clicking]

Here you go.

Mom, can you open this?

Never mind.

Bye, Mom.

Bye, .

[music playing]

I hope it's OK, me
barging in like this.

These are lovely, lovely.

Oh, Chekhov,
Garnett's translation.

Oh, it's been a day or
two since short stories have

been delivered to my very door.

Thank you, Kenneth.

I'm sorry about the
fiasco at the reading.

Oh, no, no.

Oh, royalties from
The Butterfly Ward.

I'm the one store in Canada
that still stocks copies.

Well, the world is
waiting for another one.

I'm trying so
hard to get it back.

Well, you deliver that
manuscript, Margaret,

the money's waiting
there for you.

I'm trying to finish
that damn book soon.

I just haven't been
feeling so well.

What did Chekhov say?

"My Holy of Holies is
the human body, health,

intelligence, and talent."

Or something like that.

Look, you get healthy
and you finish the book,

and the pressure's off you.

OK.

Oh.

Nice, nice.

Have you eaten today, Madam?

How's the climate today?

I made a complete fool of
myself at the literary reading

tonight.

Yeah, so what?

What do you think?

Bathers at the beach?

Supplicants in church.

Oh, I like it.

You're a wonderful
painter, Shirley.

It's true.
It's true.

It's true.

You paint my hallucinations
wonderfully well

because that's due in part
to the fact I describe

my schizophrenia so eloquently.

SHIRLEY: I got stuff at
the deli, want anything?

Where's my hairbrush, Shirley?

It's right here
[inaudible] What is this?

This is new.

It's just my new-- new--
old-- old deadline from Kenneth

Wagner unhinging me a bit.

What's this?

Writing grant application.

Yeah?

I'll mail it for you.

Everything in here?

Yeah starving
quasi renowned writer

seeks art grant to
stave off wolf at door.

The mortgage, I
am months behind.

I'm talking foreclosure.

I am screwed.

A little more child support
from Stuart wouldn't hurt here.

He's on his third
or fourth wife.

His business is down.

I need to pawn some more
things to Mr. Obadiah.

Where is ?

It's 3:30.

I wish I could spring for more
than these groceries, kid, you

know?

I know, Shirley.

I appreciate it.

What are you going to do?

Finish my masterpiece
in three weeks,

and maybe it'll make sense to
Kenneth Wagner and not just

you and me.

Hi, Shirley.

Hello, my little
hugger mugger.

Hello.

Later, alligator.

After while, crocodile.

MARGARET GIBSON:
What took you so long

coming home from school, ?

I thought you were
dead in a ditch.

Here we go again.

Oh, this damn ribbon.

Did you take your pills?

You're beginning to sound
like a broken record, .

Did you take your blue ones?

No, but if you give
me a pink an orange

and yellow and a green, then
I will be a rainbow mom.

Here you go.

Hate these new blue ones.

Empty, Mom.

Let's go to Shoppers.

Shoppers, Shoppers,
come on, Mom, let's go.

OK, OK, OK.

Maybe after dinner.

[typewriter clicking]

[VOICEOVER]: Mrs. Vaughn,
your prescription is

now ready at the side counter.

How are you this
evening, Miss Gibson?

Back again.

Fine, fine.

[music playing]

[IMITATING GROVER]
Hey, bright eyes.

Oh, bright eyes.

Take me home with you?

It really sounds like Grover.

[IMITATING GROVER]
Oh, bright eyes.

What do you say, put the
creature up for the night?

I think he wants
me to take him home.

Please can I, Mom?

Come on.

[IMITATING GROVER]
Bouncey, bouncey, bounce,

I am in the spin cycle.

Help me [inaudible] I sit down.

I sit down.

Let me out, out, out.

Mon dieu, who turned
out the lights?

I have gone blind.

Grover, it's dark
inside the bag.

And it's night, and it's
always dark at night.

[IMITATING GROVER] Mon
dieu, where is everybody?

It's all right, Grove.

We're adopting you, and I guess
I'll have to take care of you

because you seem pretty stupid.

[IMITATING GROVER] Hey,
hey, who is calling me stupid?

Me.

[IMITATING GROVER]
Just do me one favor, OK?

All right.

[IMITATING
GROVER] In the years

to come you will think of me
kindly and remember this, OK?

You have just saved me from a
fate worse than life itself.

Grove, you're silly.

[IMITATING GROVER]
And blue too.

[laughter]

[radio static]

ANNOUNCER [VOICEOVER]:
--Brady Thompson.

Thompson shoots.

It's intercepted by Shepherd.

Shepherd's down the ice--

[typewriter clicking]

Golden shoots, he scores.

[thunder claps]

[typewriter clicking]

[thunder claps]

Oh, boy, Larry.

What a night we're having
in the Garden [inaudible]..

Malenski is skating better--

Do you hear it?

Hear what?

[thunder claps]

No.

You see-- I don't see--

See what?

That noise.

I hear it.

[music playing]

[thunder claps]

[margaret breathing heavily]

[typewriter clicking]

Don't do this!

What's the matter, Mom?

[thunder claps]

What's wrong?

Come on.

[music playing]

Mommy!

They're just in your head.

Plane!

Can you see-- can you see--

Can you see them?

Oh!

AARON GIBSON: Mom,
there are no planes.

Help!

Help us!
Help us, please!

Mom, it's OK.

There are no planes.

Mommy, it's OK.

[music playing]

I heard it.

[margaret making panic sounds]

Help!
Help!

Help us!

AARON GIBSON: There
are no planes.

There are planes!

AARON GIBSON: It's
just in your head.

Hey, help us!

[knocking on the window]

Help us!

Hide us!

Hide us, please.

They're trying to hurt my son!

Hey, you-- you must calm down.

[margaret sobbing]

My bones are shattering.

I'm so ill, Aaron.

I'm very ill.

I'm going to call
an ambulance, OK?

I'm going to call an
ambulance, Mommy, OK?

[knocking on the window]

Call an ambulance now.

Hi.

Is she all right?

She's sleeping now.

She'll be here for the night.

Can I stay here?

There's no place for you.

I'm sorry.

I haven't been able to get
in touch with your father.

How long has it been
since you last saw him?

I don't know, second grade?

When your mom was
here three years ago,

who did you stay with then?

Grandma Audrey.

Can we call her?

No, she's dead.

PA SYSTEM [VOICEOVER]:
Cardiac team to the ER, stat.

Code Blue--

We have to make sure there's
somebody to look after you.

I can walk home alone.

We got a Code Blue here.

Uh, you're too young
to go home alone.

You stay put.
I'll make a few phone calls.

I'll get back to you
as soon as I can.

DOCTOR: Pick her up.

I'm getting a reading.

OK, everybody clear?

Clear.

All right, do it.

That's it.

[music playing]

[aaron crying]

[knock at the door]

Hi, Aaron.

I'm Donald Culver with
Children's Services.

I seen your mom's OK now.

I came by to make sure
you're all right too.

I know you must be worried
about your mom, huh?

How would you like
to be her escort?

She gets out later today.

Yeah.

[music playing]

[SCHOOL CHILDREN TALKING AMONGST
THEMSELVES]

Were you scared, Aaron?

Are you scared, Grover?

He didn't know what
was going to happen.

[IMITATING GROVER]
Oh, bright eyes.

Oh, bright eyes.

Lady baby is sorry she's
scared you like that,

but you stuck by her.

You were really good.

You were really quite terrific.

That hasn't happened
in a long time, has it?

[IMITATING GROVER] So how does
it feel to have a sometimes

crazy lady baby for a mama?

Is it OK or is it not OK?

Sometimes it's OK.

Just because lady baby gets
crazy sometimes it doesn't mean

that you are, you know that?

Yeah.

Do you know how lucky I feel?

You're my best friend, Mom.

You're my best
friend too, Aaron.

Let's think of a word
that means I love you,

and we're the only
ones in the world who

will know what that word means.

Can you think of a word?

[margaret speaking gibberish]

[laughter]

Moogie.

Moogie?

Moogie.

Moogie.

[laughter]

What's going on, Margaret?

I am busily failing to meet my
deadline for my book contract.

Grace under pressure.

I have always been able
to figure out a way

to write, even for just a couple
of hours a day, no matter what.

Write about me and
you in high school.

Just describe it
exactly the way it was.

You don't have to
make up anything.

You won't have to embellish.

Now it'll be very strange,
bizarre, you know?

You'll sell it for
a million dollars.

You with that James
Dean scowl of yours,

and me with my very
wonderful sense of humor.

Remember you slashed your
wrists, and I said, "Aw,

Gibson, missed with
your needlepoint again."

[laughter]

Oh, it was so bad.

[telephone rings]

SHIRLEY: I'll get it.

Hello?

Who's this?

Just a second.

It's Stuart.

Will wonders never cease?

Obviously, I'm at home.

You called me here, didn't you?

What do you want?

Aaron hasn't seen you
in eight months, Stuart.

No.

No, Aaron gets his heart broken
every time you come and go.

I'm not going let
you do that to him.

The-- the divorce decree
is supposed to protect

Aaron's best interests.

I have to ask Karen.

[slams the telephone down]

Newly divorced, I suppose?

Must have called him
when I was in the hospital.

Floor's all set, Mom.

Presenting mom's famous--

well, not so famous spaghetti.

Here, you go ahead.

I'm not hungry.

Are you sure?

Mm-hmm.

So tomorrow's a new one, huh?

It's school holiday, right?

A picnic, like usual?

Yes.

So did anything new
and unusual and bizarre

happen to you today?

Because I received a
phone call from your dad.

Back again, back again.

He wants to see you.

Do you want to see him?

You can think about it.

Why does he want to see me?

He is your dad, and
he cares about you.

[aaron sighs]

Maybe I do want to see him.

If he doesn't come,
we'll go downtown

or maybe take the subway to
Shirley's or go to Shoppers.

Do you think he forgot?

You're too unforgettable.

You must be Stuart.

Sorry I'm late.

Your ex-wives will
survive you, Stuart,

but God help your progeny.

Hi, Aaron.

How are you?

Fine.

I want to talk
to you in private.

Why can't Aaron hear?

It's between us.

Come on, Aaron.

Get in the car.

Well-- why?

Aaron and I have no secrets.

It's that old business.

Oh, all right.

Go ahead.

I'll see you tonight.

That social worker told me
that he was alone in the house

while you were in the hospital.

One night, Aaron can take
care of himself for one night.

You might recall that
in the divorce decree

I get full custody if you
are non compos mentis.

Why so concerned
all of a sudden,

you between bad marriages?

I'm worried about Aaron.

Well, so worried you
beat a path to his door

for eight or nine months?

So why did you go
into the hospital?

I was ill.

I needed to rest.

Yeah, the same old
flipping the lid business.

You haven't changed
a bit, Margaret.

I don't want Aaron here alone
again while you're getting

your head screwed on straight.

In fact, I don't know if I want
a crazy woman raising my son.

You've known I've been
schizophrenic all his life.

It never seemed to
bother you before.

You're wrong.

It's been bothering me
for a long time now.

You never once did anything
to make me not be crazy.

You were just so afraid of me.

I'm not interested
in the past.

I'm not interested in
rehashing the past.

I'm talking about now.

I'm not going let
you make him crazy.

All right.

Here we go.

Are you ready?

Watch this.

I'm staying with
Grandma temporarily.

She hasn't seen you since
you were in diapers.

I never wore diapers.

So what's the third
grader like yourselves'

favorite thing to do these days,
stuff you do with your friends?

OK then, with your mom?

Well, we go to Mr. Obadiah's
and to the movies and--

How about a movie then?

Pretty lousy.

Your mom leaves you
all alone in the house

when she's in the hospital?

And we go to Shoppers Drug
Mart and to Dr. Gates' office.

But that's boring because I
have to sit in the waiting room.

And we go on picnics
and talk to Grover.

Who's Grover?

My adopted brother.

[music playing]

[clock ticking]

AARON GIBSON: Hi, Shirley.

Look what I got.

Hello, my little
hugger mugger.

When are you going to come visit
me in my studio again, huh?

We'll play together.

Okey-dokey, time to see if
Blanche DuBois is up yet.

Climate check.

Hm, chilly.

Up at the crack of
noon and looking as

cheerful as the county morgue.

No sleep?

Voices?

No.

Well, that's good.

What is it, Margaret?

I'm coming, and I'm
going faster and faster.

This is familiar, you
turning my paintings around.

I don't think I
did that, Shirley.

Maybe I just got tired
of looking at them.

Oh, all right.

I can live with that.

It's just that when we were
roommates and things got bad,

it started like this.

I'm worried.

God, are you sure this
doctor knows what he's doing?

No, no, no, I'm
a walking pharmacy.

Stuart saw Aaron.

Well, that was
whimsical of him.

I'm afraid he'll try and
take Aaron away from me.

He threatened it, and he did.

And if I lose the house--

No, you can't think about all
these things at the same time.

When you do, you
just flip, Margaret.

You have to think about
trying to finish your book.

I'm so scared.

I can't work.

I can't sleep.

Somehow, in my head,
the sounds of clocks

has to do with the hospital.

So I kept thinking, "Time
breaks, time breaks."

I'll lose him if I
go in the hospital.

I'll lose him.

[music playing]

[clock ticking]

No!

[clock ticking]

[hammering the clock]

[painting tears]

[knocking on the door]

Margaret?

What happened, Margaret?

Just tell me they
were ripped off.

Tell me the paintings
were stolen,

and they're not
buried somewhere in--

Man, I cannot help but
take this personally.

This is really uncool.

Why?

Why?

Because you exploit me.

That's why.

I'm a freak, aren't I?

Come visit the freak for
some artistic inspiration.

I'm a bottomless pit
of hallucinatory art.

I don't want to hear this.

I don't want to hear this.

You're destroying
yourself, Margaret.

You got to do something.

You've got to try.

Aaron needs you to try.

Please just do something or
I can't watch this anymore.

Then to hell with you.

Do you really mean that?

Go to hell.

[shirley crying]

[school bell rings]

Aaron?

Mommy need you to come home.

I'll be right there, Mommy.

[music playing]

[TELEVISION]
--goal is to become

an elementary music teacher.

Macy [inaudible], 18.

I'm honored to represent the
nation's capital, Ottawa.

Good pizza.

[TELEVISION] My
aspirations are

to attend university and
further my career in acting.

You got to eat, Mom.

[TELEVISION] Tanya Memy, 20.

I am proud to be representing
the Niagara region,

and I'm planning to--

Maraschino cherries
in the salad, Aaron?

No tomatoes.

[telephone rings]

I'll get it.

Hello?

Hi, Stuart.

Just a minute.

Here you go.

Hello?

No, not today.

Maybe tomorrow.

Because I need him with me.

That's why, Stuart.

Grove, it's pretty tough
to find mittens that'll

fit creature hands like yours.

Get away from
that TV set, Aaron.

It'll invade your brain.
- [TELEVISION] --19 years old.

Studying--
- It's coming out of it.

Don't you see it?
- No.

[TELEVISION] --to
become an occupational--

It's touching Grover.
Do you see it?

I'm the only one who
is touching Grover.

[TELEVISION] --representing
the city of Port Saint John.

Let's go somewhere, Mom.

You never want to go anywhere
anymore, not even Shoppers.

Grover's bad.

Give him to me.

No, Mommy!

Give him to me.

He's tainted.

We have to get rid of him.

[music playing]

[aaron crying]

Be quiet, Aaron.

Stop the crying.

Grover's not bad!

You're bad!

[aaron crying]

[music playing]

Aaron, I'm sorry for all
the wrong things I do to you.

I know it's hard for you
when I'm ill like this.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

I understand, Mommy.

[music playing]

[car horn honks]

Mommy, look what I
found in the desk.

[knocking at the door]

Just a minute, Mom.

[knocking at the door]

Coming.

[sound of the door opening]

STUART SINGER: Hello, Aaron.

AARON GIBSON: Hi, Stuart.

STUART SINGER: You ready?

AARON GIBSON: No.

STUART SINGER: Why not?

AARON GIBSON: I don't
want to go today.

STUART SINGER: Come on, Aaron.
I've been waiting for you.

I'll bring him back at five, OK?

I need him.

You can't take him.

[knocking at the door]

There's my big-eared
friend Aaron.

Where's your mother, young man?

She in here?

OK to do this now, Miss Gibson?

It's OK, Mr. Obadiah.

[foreign speech]

Selling off the furniture?

I'll give Aaron the
money at the truck,

save me an extra trip.

Take care, Miss Gibson.

Come on, Aaron.

No.

It is my right to see my son.

Go get the money
from Mr. Obadiah.

You can go with your dad.

This can't be good for Aaron.

You go back into the
hospital, and I'm

going to ask for custody.

We both know I'll win.

[music playing]

Don't worry.

Lady Baby's just tired.

She gets like this sometimes.

[sighs]

She needs a couple of minutes.

No, she's not dying.

She's resting.

See?

You got to eat, Mom.

Hello, my name is Aaron Gibson.

Do you remember me?

Can you come to our house?

My mom hasn't talked
to me for a long time.

I need help.

[FAMILY TALKING IN THE
BACKGROUND]

Mom, can I stay with Shirley?

I don't think I
have a choice, do I?

It's what the lawyers
decided is fair, Aaron,

when your mom and dad divorced.

But I never stayed
with him before.

[doorbell rings]

It's Grandma Hattie.

Say hello, Aaron.

Hello, Aaron.

Come on.

[music playing]

I'm glad you're here.

[elevator chimes]

Good morning, Mrs [inaudible]

WOMAN: It looks pretty bad.

RECEPTIONIST: John Tannerson,
please report to the nursing

station for your meds.

Gibson, Gibson,
Gibson, where the--

It's on your left, doctor.

Gibson, Gibson, Gibson.

Yes.

That's it, Mr. Racita.

Just a couple more minutes.

You're doing real well.

[sirens in the background]

Hello, Margaret.

I'm Dr. Teplitsky.

Hello.

How are you feeling today?

Not good.

Not good.

Dead inside the land of not.

What are you going
to do about it?

Well, if I'm to be your
doctor, I'll try and help you.

I've had psych doctors from
here to China since I was 15.

What medication
are you taking?

Mellaril, Librium,
Valium, Nidal, Percocet,

Thorazine, Ativan, Ciclonal.

You must have
amazing tolerance.

That would have snowed me under.

Your head doctor on G-2?

Yes.

Do you lord it over
all the other doctors

that you're head doctor?

No, but I do lord
it over the patients.

[inaudible]

[silverware clanking on plates]

What do you think
you're doing, young man?

We sit at the table.

Me and my mom never do.

We always sit on the floor.

Sit at the table, Aaron.

I want to visit
my mom tomorrow.

You're not big enough to
visit on that kind of ward.

Then I'll wear stilts.

You heard your grandmother.

[aaron sighs]

You know, Margaret, you've
been severely over-medicated

for quite a while now.

We've taken you off everything,
but I'm going to prescribe

one medication, Haldol.

It's an antipsychotic.

It'll help smooth
out your thinking.

That could be novel.

Margaret Gibson?

Yes?

Sir, this is a hospital.

Nurse.

Custody?

Stu-- Stuart, he's
going to do it.

Thank you, Doug.

So what does the
doctor say about how

long you're going to be here?

It depends on my progress.

Can he really succeed at this?

Well, he has taken the
initiative, Margaret.

He is trying to
gain full custody.

I breast fed Aaron.

I toilet trained Aaron.

I taught him the names of
the birds and the trees

and I taught him how
to read and I took

him to his first day of school.

Stuart was never, never,
never there for any of it!

All right.
Calm down.

Calm down, please.
- I had to do it all!

The court reevaluates
the case whenever there's

been a significant change.

With me here in the psych
ward, it changes things?

Well, substantially.

Yes.

Whether or not Stuart
has been super dad,

the court might find him
the preferable parent

simply because he has
no psychiatric history.

Now we've got to show you're
going to be able to take care

of Aaron, and we can't
very well do this

while you're in the hospital.

Aaron's coming here
to see the doctor.

Doctor wants to see
how Aaron's doing.

Aaron keeps so much to himself.

I worry about him.

Margaret, the
first priority is

to get better and show whatever
problem put you in here

is taken care of.

Now Stuart's chances
are going to improve

as long as Aaron's with him.

The court doesn't like to
shift children around a lot.

What if they
foreclose on my house?

It's not the end of the world.

Look, I'll try and
contact Stuart's lawyer.

I'll keep you posted.

[car horn honks]

WOMAN: Wait here.

Nice bike.

Stuart gave it to me.

It's not even your birthday.

I'm so surprised
to see you, Aaron.

But I'm really
happy you're here.

Does Stuart know
that you're here?

No.

I made this for you, Mom.

Oh, I love it.

I can put it on my wall
and look at it every night

before I go to sleep.

Let me look at you.

A week seems like a year.

New sweater?

Stuart.

Hm.

Woo!

Help Grover to talk, Mom.

Um--

[IMITATING GROVER]
Oh, this chocolate

is a scrumptious mud color.

Well, Grove, you should have
been quiet for a long time.

I think it's because you're sad.

I think Grove's sad
because he misses you.

[IMITATING GROVER] Mon
dieu, I'm going to play big.

No tears.
Mwah, mwah.

Whoa, whoa.

Whoa

Whoa.

Whoa.

When can I be
with you again, Mom?

Sometime soon now.

When, Mom?

Soon.

Soon as I can.

Stuart says I might stay
there for a long time.

You and I are going to be
together again like always.

I promise you that.

We'd better say goodbye now.

Your school principal
called me at work, Aaron.

What are you doing here?

You know you need
to be in school.

[music playing]

Get your bike.

[music playing]

[margaret crying]

[typewriter clicking]

MARGARET GIBSON [VOICEOVER]:
I'm on the eighth rung of hell.

[music playing]

It was a family of secrets.

My father was in
a mental hospital.

It was during the war.

He was a Bombardier.

He cracked up.

They didn't tell me about it
until I left home, but I--

I absorbed it all through
my skin, you know,

the-- the horrors of the war.

He was a sensitive man,
but he-- he frightened me.

I used to mutilate myself
when I was a child.

My parents knew, but
they did nothing.

Ostriches, you know,
head in the sand.

My mother, especially,
ignored me.

I was the "it."

I always told myself
that if I ever had a kid,

I'd let him know
how special he was.

The-- they never tried to
get me any help until I--

I-- I almost died.

I-- I-- I swallowed some poison.

I don't want Aaron to die.

Why would that happen?

What?

You just said you
didn't want Aaron to die.

Driven to it, I guess,
by another ostrich.

Do you think you're oblivious
to what's going on with Aaron?

Well, ma-- maybe.

I can't always know what's
really going on inside of him,

you know?

Maybe-- maybe I'm
incapable, like my parents,

you know, because I
learned from them.

The doctor said I
shouldn't have a baby

because he'd be schizophrenic.

And I said, well, then
I'll understand him.

But sometimes it's hard to know.

Maybe I'm hurting him.

[music playing]

And if they take
my boy away from me

because I'm an unfit
mother, I'm lost.

[margaret crying]

Give yourself a
chance, Margaret.

That decision hasn't
been made yet.

[music playing]

[margaret crying]

I'm thinking of
buying you a computer

when you come to live with me.
How would you like that, Aaron?

I guess I'd like that.

You guess you'd like that?

Hey, you want to
see your new room?

Why did you and my mom
get divorced, Stuart?

Ancient history, Aaron.

I don't have the best
of luck with women.

It's hard to explain.

I left because she scared me.

I had to get away.

I didn't think you could live
with a crazy person like that.

I couldn't.

No, me.

Why?

Because I couldn't
handle her craziness.

It wasn't easy
leaving you behind.

I loved you.

My mom's not crazy.

She's a lot of fun.

[construction noise]

Maybe I shouldn't have
been so scared, huh?

Oh, I don't know.

Maybe you're a better
man than me, sticking

by someone crazy like that.

My mom's a good mother.

Yeah.

Well, you turned out OK.

You're pretty great.

Only you still
don't call me dad.

I've seen a lot of progress
over the last month, Margaret.

Do you think maybe it's time
now to leave the hospital?

You mean because I'm
on an even hum line now

and I don't feel like a
paper in the gutter anymore?

Do you feel ready?

I don't know.

There's a safety in here.

I don't have to pretend.

More than anything, I
want to be with Aaron.

But I have to fight to keep him.

I'm-- I'm afraid.

Well, it's your
call, Margaret.

Does this mean that--

that I'm cured, Dr. Teplitsky?

I disagree with your
previous diagnosis.

I don't think you're
schizophrenic.

You don't?

Schizophrenia is a catchall
name used for a cluster

of mental disorders.

Under stress you've exhibited
certain symptoms that

go along with the diagnosis.

But you care about your life,
and we both know you feel

things strongly, powerfully.

And you're in touch
with reality now.

Well, I know I've always
been a little crazy.

But you're right, I've
always felt things strongly.

Wh-- why would they
say that about me?

You mean I've never
been schizophrenic?

Well, I didn't know you then.

I just know you now.

And now you seem to
be engaged with life.

Well, if I'm no
schizo, what am I?

Well, some of
your symptoms are

found in any number of labels.

Changing the labels
won't change you.

There are certain
skills we can teach

you to manage your
life better, but only

you can change your life.

[music playing]

[WHISPERING] Moogie.

[music playing]

--wants to see me?

Who?

She says she's an old friend.

Hi.

Hi.

Uh, Aaron called me.

If I had any idea
what was going on,

you know I'd have been here.

I know.

I'm-- I'm sorry I
said what I said.

That wasn't me talking.

It was my madness.

Well, you know,
it's just that um,

you never attacked
me before, and I

didn't know how to handle it.

I didn't want to
say goodbye to you.

I know.

People like us
don't say goodbye.

We just uh--

We just get interrupted.

Aaron told me about the house.

I put your name on the
list for public housing,

but I found a place.

[car engine sounds]

Does it have running water?

I didn't ask.

[baby crying]

Oh, great.

Stuart's going to milk
this for all it's worth.

Oh, this place would be
exhibit A. Your honor,

my only son lives in
a rat-infested dump

because his crazy
mom's on welfare.

Aw.

I know it's the
best you can do.

There's more.

More, yeah.

Look, at least it's inside.

I'll have to sleep
in the living room.

It is a bit of a dump, huh?

Well, a few more
paintings will spruce it up.

Hm.

What are you
going to paint now

that I'm not schizo anymore?

Oh, come here.

Outpatient and Child.

Oh, Shirley.

[knocking at the door]

This is cheerful.

Come here.

Oh, I missed you, Moogie.

You're the bee's knees, kiddo.

Y-- you feeling better?

Guess not.

Well, better be off.

See you next weekend, Aaron.

[imitating a gun shot]

Bye.

Hey, no guns.

[laughter]

Oh!

Oh!

[laughter]

I was only there for six weeks.

I wasn't in a locked one.

I realize that, Margaret.

But a mental ward,
the stigma, it's

a factor they're
going to exploit.

Is it the factor?

Primarily, yes.

But Aaron's been absent from
school quite a lot before you

went into the hospital.

Margaret, that's bad for us.

You're going to have
to keep him in school

Hi, may I help you?

Margaret?

No, just a coffee, please.

OK.

I was on G-2 to get well.

It does not mean
I'm an unfit mother.

I am functioning.

Decently patched
together, that's true,

that's true, that's true.

But the doctors would never
let me out if that wasn't so.

Margaret, any friends you
have, anyone who can provide us

letters to the court bolstering
support for you as a fit mother

we can attach to our affidavit.

In the meantime, you have
to remain on an even keel.

The best thing for his side
is to see you act crazy.

No offense.

Now Mark Perkins will
be interviewing you,

Aaron, and your ex-husband.

Who's Mark Perkins?

He's appointed through the
Attorney General's Office.

He's a lawyer who will
be Aaron's advocate.

Your assessment interview
with him will be crucial.

He's the one we have to
worry about, Margaret.

Also, he'll be interviewing
you in your home.

Oh, my God.

When?

I'll let you know about
that and the court date

as soon as I can.

What are my chance chances?

Well, I've had easier cases.

In the meantime, I'd like
to see you maintaining

financial stability.

Write, Margaret, write.

I-- I don't remember how
much you charge an hour.

Don't worry.

No, I will pay you.

Margaret, listen to me.

Family court can be slow
to resolve these matters.

Be patient.

Be calm.

Just take care of Aaron, OK?

Since this is a
special occasion,

our first home-cooked TV
dinner in our new abode,

let's make a wish.

[blows out the candle]

What'd you wish?

I wished we could move
back to our old house.

This is just temporary, Aaron,
until I get back on my feet.

Grove told me he wished
that he lived in a real house

like real people.

He don't think we're real?

I don't know.

[imitates a buzzer]

Wrong answer.

You know, there are two
kinds of real people.

There's-- there's the
kind that have a two-car

garage and two
kids and a lifetime

membership in the Normal Club.

And then there's the other
kind, like us, who may not

look so great from the outside
and we may not have a car,

like Stuart, and we may not
have eaten at a dinner table

in I don't know how long,
that doesn't mean that we're

not special and wonderful.

You know, we-- we care
about each other, you know.

And that makes us real.

You get my drift?

Yeah.

Sometimes real people, like
us, can be a little crazy,

and that's OK.

A little crazy?

I saw Duncan Miller today.

He's our lawyer, remember?

About my custody suit?

Do you know what he said?

He said, I could lose you.

How do you feel about that?

You don't want to talk about it.

You keep to yourself
so much it worries me.

Mom, I feel like it was
all my fault this happened.

Why, Aaron?

If I hadn't phoned
Donald Culver,

Stuart wouldn't have
started the custody suit.

I needed help.

You-- you did the right thing.

It's not your fault,
you understand?

Do you understand?

If I can finish the
book, does the contract

still stand, Kenneth?

Oh, thank you.

Yes, I'm feeling better.

Kenneth, would you--
would you write

a letter to the court telling
them I'm a decent mother?

My ex-husband is trying to
get custody of Aaron, an--

and they're sending an
official guardian here

to-- to scrutinize my fitness.

Would you help, please?

Thank you.

You're a dear friend.

Thank you.

[traffic sounds]

[typewriter clicking]

[train horn sounds]

How is it for you,
being out of the hospital?

It's like living
in a glass house.

I can't write anymore.

Last night, my mind
was an awful companion.

Give yourself time, Margaret.

You've got a lot to
contend with right now.

You're trying.

Give yourself credit for that.

I-- I need to get inside
the skin of a word again.

If I can't write, I'm sunk.

I'm so worried about my
writing that I can't sleep.

I-- Isn't there-- there
some sleeping pill tha--

tha-- that you can give me?

Oh, I can see by your
psychiatric face,

that's inappropriate.

Very.

Well, every shrink before you
would give me a pile of pills.

I'm not a prescription clerk.

So-- so while I'm lying there
thinking that the official

guardian is going to take
Aaron away from me because I

am the broken pane
of glass in his

life and I'm halfway to bedlam.

What am I supposed to do,
play auditory hallucinations

until the neighbors
start complaining?

Don't lie in bed.

That's just inviting trouble.

I mean, you'll be
lying there thinking,

mirror, mirror on the wall,
how crummy do I feel today?

Get out of bed.

And do what?

Something.

Well-- I--

I can't write.

That's all I know.

I don't have any hobbies.

I can't turn my brain off.

Well, try not to think.

Do dishes, vacuum, bake.

Bake?

I can't cook.

I've heard that these are not
unlearnable skills, Margaret.

You know what occurred to
me in the middle of the night?

What?

That if I'm not good
for him, I'd give him up.

I have these crazy
parts inside me

no matter how quickly
I try to amputate them,

but I do want what's
good for Aaron.

Well, it must be
painful to think that,

but it sounds healthy to me.

What, me giving him up?

No.

The thought
process is healthy.

Wow, healthy thought.

Imagine what I might
be capable of if I

didn't have to take Haldol.

I need to think to write.

If I take the pills then I
may be able to keep Aaron,

but my brain turns to sawdust.

If I don't take the
pills, then I can write.

But I risk going back on
G-2 and risk losing Aaron.

So what am I supposed to do?

Without the medication,
your symptoms could return.

I'm not Margaret
if I can't write.

[margaret crying]

[train horn sounds]

[crickets chirping]

Mirror, mirror on the wall.

Egg.

Egg.

What are you doing, Mom?

Aaron, uh, what
are you doing awake?

You're supposed to be asleep.

You have school tomorrow.

Oh, let's go.

Let's go.

Come on, back to bed.

--All night in the unmade
park after the railings

and shrubberies, the birds,
the grass, the trees, the lake,

and the wild boys
innocent as strawberries

had followed the hunchback
to his kennel in the dark.

[music playing]

I don't know anyone who
likes Dylan Thomas's

poetry half as much as you do.

[music playing]

Goodnight.

Moogie.

[light clicks off]

[typewriter clicking]

MARGARET GIBSON [VOICEOVER]:
He was always a quiet baby,

I was to say in the kitchen
way as the years passed.

You did not squall.

You were like a lone
and beautiful tree

in a riot field of weeds.

[typewriter clicking]

Oh, something from
Shoppers for you.

Oh, my God.

What?

What is it, Mom?

Uh, my writing application.

I forgot I even applied.

$2,000?

Well, what do we do with it?

What are we going
to spend it on?

Um, uh, should we buy food?

Uh, pay rent?

Uh, something boring
and practical like that?

Rent, Mom, rent.

Or should we live?

[laughter]

[music playing]

Aaron needs to play
sports with other boys.

He needs essentials
he's not getting

with her, decent clothes,
for instance, food.

I don't know where
the money goes.

I send them what I can.

There's no food in
the refrigerator.

Oh.

[IMITATING GROVER] This
looks scrumptiously tasty,

bright eyes.

I think I look weird.

You have a beautifully
intelligent face,

like Lord Byron.

[margaret screams]

[laughter]

That's weird.

Are you and Aaron very close?

Yeah, sure.

Not close like they are.

I'm not nearly as
indulgent as she is.

You're the professional.

Isn't that unhealthy,
especially for a boy?

Are you angry
towards your ex-wife?

A-- Angry?

Why should I be angry?

Well, except for Aaron's sake.

Maybe because she's a freak.

What do you mean by that?

You know, is she warping him?

[SINGING] Down by the bay--

[SINGING] --where
the watermelons grow.

[SINGING] Back to my home--

[SINGING] I dare not go.

[SINGING] But if I do--

[SINGING] --my
mother will say--

[SINGING] --did you ever
see a fly wearing tie?

[SINGING] Did you ever see
a bee with a sunburned knee?

[SINGING] Did she
ever see a moose?

[SINGING] Yes, and a goose.

You are my heartbeat, Aaron.

Hey, that's not in the song.

[laughter]

[marching in step]

We will.

We will go left,
left, left, Right!

MARGARET GIBSON: Left.

AARON GIBSON: Right.

MARGARET GIBSON: Left.
AARON GIBSON: Right.

MARGARET GIBSON: I'm
glad we left, right?

AARON GIBSON: What do
we have left, right?

MARGARET GIBSON: Right.

Did you spend it all?

It was dumb.

It was dumb, I know.

Beyond dumb.

No, Aaron deserves to have
something nice happen to him.

Children need to have fun.

Margaret, that's
not the point.

Don't you see I wanted
to do something really,

really, really
exciting for Aaron?

I don't know that I'm going
to have another chance.

I think I might lose him.

It was wrong, I know, I know.

Aaron, I made a mistake.

From now on, we have to
save every single penny.

We'll turn your
shirts inside out.

What for?

Because tomorrow
is inside out day.

We can save a lot of
money on laundry that way.

Um, oh.

What are you doing, Mom?

I'm unplugging the alarm
clock to save on electricity.

Maybe I'll save on some time.

See if we're resourceful,
we can survive.

You're giving Stuart
grounds for custody, Margaret.

Not to mention it's bad
for Aaron's development

to be kept out of school.

I know, I know.

I'm sorry.

I'm digging my own grave.

Stuart told me that Aaron's
been absent 16 days already

this year.

Aaron, the doctor wants
you to go to school.

It's important.

I think Aaron needs to hear
that you want him to, Margaret.

Aaron, I want you
to go back to school.

We have to change now
before it's too late.

Aaron, do you
believe your mother?

I'm not going back.

I don't want to go back

Well, Erin, you have to.

Otherwise, we can't be together.

See, this-- this
is my fault. I'm

trying as hard as I can to
cope, but-- but sometimes I

need Aaron to help
me come back down.

You're too dependent
on him, Margaret.

Well, what do I do when I
get scared and I need him?

You say, I'm feeling rotten,
but I want you to go to school.

Just like that?

You have no other
choice, Margaret.

I don't like school.

Why?

I'm bored.

And I think
there's more to this.

I don't have
any friends there.

You won't make
any staying at home.

Maybe there's something
else going on here.

Are you afraid that if
you come home from school

your mom won't be there?

You afraid that
she might get sick

while you're away at
school, that she'll

end up in the hospital?

Is that what you're
worried about?

Maybe.

[traffic noise]

[IMITATING GROVER]
Hey, bright eyes.

Maybe It's time for
Lady Baby to stop

tagging along after you, aye?

Maybe it's time for
you to be a kid again.

I am a kid, Grove.

As a matter of fact, I'm nine.

[IMITATING GROVER]
Oh, too true,

but growing up too
fast having to take

care of a crazy Lady Baby.

I want to take care
of you because you're

such a special kid.

[telephone rings]

What?

What?

Oh, I'm sorry, Duncan.

The official garden, yeah, um--

tomorrow?

Tomorrow, oh, oh, my--

can't you delay them?

Oh, my God.

Um, what time tomorrow?

Um, uh, yes.

W-- uh, oh.

Oh, I'm better.

I'm better.

Um, Y-- w-- when is the hearing?

[margaret sighs]

Yeah.

Oh.

Oh, don't do this.

Don't do this.

Would you please tell my son I
will see him when he gets home.

I'll tell him.

I understand.

Goodbye.

Your mom said she'd see
you when you get home.

[music playing]

[traffic noise]

The tea will be ready
in a minute, Mr. Perkins.

Oh.

Uh, Mr. Perkins?

Oh.

Oh, I had to repair
that damn window--

that window myself.

Um, here's your
tea, Mr. Perkins.

No, none for me.

Thank you.

How long have you lived
here, Miss Gibson?

Uh, six weeks.

I've applied to the
city for assistance

and more decent size apartment.

I've been on the list of
applicants for some time now.

Well, how do
you intend to meet

Aaron's material
needs, Miss Gibson,

other than through welfare?

Is being on welfare
sufficient reason

to take my son away from me?

Oh, no, no, no.

But do you have an
alternative to welfare?

My writing.

The Butterfly Ward won
a Toronto Fiction Prize,

and it made, uh,
a pile of money.

And I bought a house
and lost a house

because, well,
among other reasons,

I-- uh, the second
book didn't sell.

Among other reasons?

That's a euphemism for going
into the psychiatric ward

of a hospital, but I went
in of my own free will.

And I got a good doctor,
and he really helped me.

I see.

Miss Gibson, what kind of effect
do you think your mental health

problems have on Aaron?

Oh, uh, Aaron understands.

Aaron's a very special boy.

He's not like any other boy.

He just wants me well.

In fact, he told me
that I'm getting better.

Really, he said that.

And I'm good for him.

In fact, Aaron once said
to me, Mommy, living

with you is a real adventure.

So you're writing again?

Yes.

Yes, and I hope to
finish this book,

and then I can provide Aaron
with all his material needs.

What do you do with your
son on weekends, Miss Gibson?

Oh, we have fun.

We play games.

We go to movies.

We troll for empty
pop bottles to cash

in, normal family stuff.

[baby crying]

Uh, sorry if I
sound too flippant.

My-- my friend Shirley,
she is an artist

and she says sometimes
I sound too flippant.

We like being
together, Aaron and I.

Aaron's poor
school attendance is

a serious matter, Miss Gibson.

Yes, I know.

I know that uh-- that-- that
upsets me too, Mr. Perkins.

Uh, but we've changed.

I've changed.

I really have.

So Aaron doesn't stay
home from school anymore

to take care of you?

No.

No, he did when I
was ill, but not now.

Now I take care of him.

Why do you think Aaron
should live with you?

Why?

Yes, why?

Because I love him.

Thank you.

I'll see you in
court in three weeks.

Well, see-- can you tell
me what you think of me?

I mean, three weeks is
a long time to wait.

I still have to meet Aaron.

I haven't made any conclusions.

When are you going
to interview Aaron?

Sometime next week.

Thank you.

Sometime next week.

Sometime next week.

[sound of children playing]

Can I play?

[sound of children playing]

[children laughing]

Leave, mama's boy.

Why don't you put
your mom's jewelry on?

Shut up, you guys!

[typewriter clicking]

What are you
doing home so early?

[typewriter clicking]

What's wrong?

Nothing.

What happened?

I'm not going back to school.

Aaron-- Aaron, you have to.

Why can't I be here with you?

Do you realize how close
we are to losing this case?

We ca-- we can't do
this anymore, you know?

We have to be less
different now.

You said different was good.

Why can't I be different
and not go to school?

Because school
is good for you.

So we-- we can't give up.

The hearing is coming soon.

When?

Three weeks.

You have to talk to the
official guardian first.

What am I supposed
to say to him?

Just tell the truth.

But meanwhile, back
you go to school.

[laughter]

Get yourself an education.

[laughter]

So how do you feel about
living with your mother, Aaron?

Do you like it?

Yeah.

Well, uh, what's it like?

She sees pictures in
her head that I don't see.

Oh, what do you do then?

I tell her they're
not really there.

Is it an easy life?

No, sometimes
it's a hard life.

Why?

I mean, can you tell
me why it's hard?

She's upset a lot.

And you?

No, at this case.

And your father,
does he get upset?

Mm-mm.

Do you like living with him?

Yeah, only I really
don't know him too well.

Uh-huh.

[school bell rings]

How do you feel about
your mother's illness?

What do you mean?

Do you think she
depends on you too much?

I know she's
needed me sometimes

so she won't get sicker.

Well, your father's got a
good job and a nice house.

50 times nicer
than me and my mom's.

Only--

Only what?

I just don't
feel like me there.

You don't have to
take care of him, huh?

I'm used to living with
my mom my whole life.

Well, you don't
need to decide.

It's a big decision.

I'll try to decide
what's best for you.

Do you understand?

[sound of children playing]

Hey, Aaron, want to play?

Me?

Yeah, come on.

Inbound it.

Come on.

Throw it in.

[sound of children playing]

[typewriter clicking]

Aaron, where have you been?

I thought you were
dead in a ditch.

Well, why didn't you call?

Do you have any idea
how worried I was?

This is Herman.

Hi, Herman.

Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you
too, Miss Gibson.

Come on.

Let's go.

Ugh, this house is gloomy.

So what do you watch on
TV, basketball, football?

Nope.

Baseball?

What then?

Beauty pageants.

Beauty pageants?

[typewriter clicking]

Mom?

If I don't put Grover
away now, I'll be sleeping

with him when I'm married.

[IMITATING GROVER] Well,
as a matter of fact, um,

I was thinking of
taking in the beauty

pageant on the creature planet.

So it is a good thing you
won't be lonely when I am gone.

Take care, bright eyes.

Wish me luck.

[music playing]

AARON GIBSON: Good luck, Grover.

[music playing]

The petitioner alleges
Miss Gibson's diagnoses

is paranoid schizophrenia.

Would you agree
with that, doctor?

No, absolutely not.

Since Margaret's
been under my care,

I have never observed that kind
of pervasive disorientation,

looseness in logical thinking,
or delusional content

that's usually associated
with paranoid schizophrenia.

I see.

Dr. Teplitsky, in your
opinion, how capable

a mother is Margaret Gibson?

I don't want to paint
her a perfect mother,

but she is very
sensitive to Aaron and--

and concerned.

And I predict the
turmoil in her life

will subside with ongoing
treatment and the resolution

of this custody case.

Is Miss Gibson
stable, Dr. Teplitsky?

Well, it's a
question of degree.

She's much more stable
now than before.

She seems to be making
remarkable strides

in her ability to
deal with stress.

I'm just concerned how
the psychological turmoil

affects Aaron.

Shouldn't the boy
have a stable parent?

I've found no
evidence suggesting

that Aaron is suffering.

Perhaps there's more
damage under the surface

than you've been able
to detect, doctor.

The child has had to be the
parent, from what I can gather.

I think that's changed.

Over the period of time
that I've been seeing him,

he seems to be
getting more solid.

Do you swear that the
evidence you are about to give

the court in this
matter shall be

the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth,

so help you God?
- Yes, I do.

Mr. Perkins, what was your
finding in the case before us?

I must apologize.

Usually this is the occasion for
my definitive recommendation,

but I'd like some more time
to think the matter over,

Your Honor.

What is at issue here
is whether or not

a parent with a history
of mental illness

should retain custody
of this child.

We must determine what
is best for Aaron.

Although, according to the
testimony we've just heard,

she has made progress
and is maintaining.

Now should we risk
keeping Aaron with her

and possibly exposing him to
traumatic events in the future

should she have a relapse?

I find this, personally,
very difficult to decide.

Shall we reconvene next week?

Is that sufficient
time for you to make

a decision, Mr. Perkins?

Yes, Your Honor.

All rise.

This court is now
adjourned for the day.

God save the Queen.

What gives you the
right to delay like that?

JUDGE: This court is
adjourned, Miss Gibson.

Margaret, calm down, please.

You're upset.
- No.

Margaret.

No.

We have to live with this.

You have no understanding
of how unremitting this is.

A week may not mean much
to you, but to us it does.

Perhaps you're giving
me the information I need

to come to a speedier decision.
- Margaret.

Please, Margaret.
- Oh.

Margaret, you
could lose Aaron.

You could lose Aaron,
and you can see him

every other weekend
until he is 18 unless you

do something to help yourself.

Use your strength
instead of your weakness.

Margaret, look at me.

Look at me.

You're a writer.

Write an affidavit to the court.

This could be your only chance.

I--

[typewriter clicking]

MARGARET GIBSON [VOICEOVER]:
I've been mentally

ill for periods in my life.

But I believe now
that with the help

of my doctor and medication,
the worst is behind me.

I'm determined to give my
son the nurturing he needs,

and I know how to do that.

One day, we saw a stuffed
toy in a drugstore, Grover.

I discovered I could
imitate his voice.

Grover saw us through
many hard times.

When there was
nothing else, he was

security, a friend,
and love of which I

had more than enough to spare.

I cannot give Aaron
fancy houses or new toys,

not even always food.

He has known hunger.

Although, I've often
given him my food.

I can give him my
words and words last.

The only thing I
can really offer him

is unconditional
love, no matter what.

Mark Perkins has reached
his recommendation.

[music playing]

And I concur.

[music playing]

[sound of children playing]

It's you and me, kiddo.

I knew it.

[music playing]

Moogie.

Moogie.

I guess a little
madness is allowable?

I have to make good now.

Yes, you do.

[laughter]

[music playing]

[applause]

Uh, I started writing
this poem a long time ago.

Uh, I finished it yesterday.

It's called Aaron.

You've done under
my skin dunning,

a mad hatter tick-tocks
six eight time,

the human heartbeat
pocket watch.

My belly was puffed
and stretched

like a pale and fat oyster.

My once trimmed
ankles, water swollen.

It did not matter.

The days and nights of
sitting alone in a cold flat,

the window cracked like
the jagged lash of a whip,

would soon end.

I, Margaret, was
going to give birth.

Then the cleaving,
the the dunning,

six eight beat stopped
within my oyster parts

and was held bloodied
and close to my breast.

You did not squall.

He was always a quiet baby I
was to say in the kitchen way

as the years passed.

He did not squall.

You were like a lone
and beautiful tree

in a riot field of weeds.

You did not hang out
with the crowd of kids,

but rather stand back
a little to the side

and wonder why they did
not understand your jokes

or who Dillon Thomas is.

You do.

It seems you always did.

Once weeping, I knelt
before you and cradled

your soft, small head.

I told you that I
was sorry that I

grieve for you, for me, for all
the unright things I had done.

Translucent hand
then patted my arm.

Two words, I understand.

That made it all worse somehow.

Now, at nine, you remind
me to take my pills

and to phone the
doctor when I'm crazed.

And always you bring my
pill bottles, offering them

up with renewed hope each time.

Always I swallow
the pills and say,

now I will never be sick again.

I fool no one.

You are a lone and beautiful
tree in a riot full of weeds,

and you did not squall.

[applause]

[music playing]

[cat meows]